I 



SERMONS. 



SERMONS, 



ON THE 

EFFICACY OF PRAYER AND INTERCESSION : 

ON THE 

ARTICLES OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH : 

ON 

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS : 

AND ON 

THE LORD'S SUPPER. 
By SAMUEL OGDEN, D.D. 

LATE WOODWARDIAN PROFESSOR IN THE UNIVERSITY OF 
CAMBRIDGE. 

TO WHICH IS PREFIXED, 

AN ACCOUNT OF THE AUTHOR'S LIFE, TOGETHER WITH A 
VINDICATION OF HIS WRITINGS AGAINST 
SOME LATE OBJECTIONS. 

By S. HALLIFAX. 
THE FIFTH EDITION. 

LONDON • 

PRINTED FOR T, HAMILTON, 3& PATERtfOSTES K**f 

1814. 



/. PiUans W Sons, Printers- 



PREFACE 

TO THE 

FOURTH EDITION. 



Br Samuel Ogden, the learned Author of 
the following volume, was born on the 28th day 
of July, in the year 1716, at Manchester, in the 
county of Lancaster, and educated at the free 
school there. 

In March 1733, he was admitted in King* 
College in Cambridge, and, in August 1736, he 
removed to St. John's College in the same Uni- 
versity; ,vhere, in 1737, he took the degree of 
B. A. and, on the 24th of March 1739* was 
elected Fellow. 

He was ordained Deacon at Chester by th6 
Bishop of Chester, in Jane 1 740 ; and Priest at 
Bugden in Huntingdonshire by the Bishop of 
Lincoln, in November 1741. In this year also 
he took the degree of M. A/ 

In 1744, he was elected Master of the Free 
Grammar School at Halifax in Yorkshire, and 
by Dr. Legh, the late Vicar there, was appoint- 
ed first to the Curacy of Coley, and afterwards 
to that of Elland, both in the neighbourhood; 
which latter Curacy he continued to hold to 
the end of the year 1762. 

a In 



( f ) 

In 1748, he became B. D. 

In March 1773, he resigned his School at 
Halifax, and went to reside at Cambridge and 
at the ensuing Commencement in July, was 
created D. D. The late Duke of Newcastle, 
Chancellor of the University, happening to visit 
Cambridge at the last of the above times, Mr. 
Ogden was fixed upon to perform before his 
Grace, the Exercise appointed by the Statute* 
for the Degree of Doctor of Divinity. The 
Question proposed by Mr. Ogden, and on which 
he made his Thesis, was, 

Christum, ipsum insontem, a Deo ad mortem da~ 
turn esse pro sontibus, est credibi/e. 

That chosen by the Professor, Dr. Green, the 
late Bishop of Lincoln, was, 

Prcescientia Divina, etfuturce improborum pcenw, 
cum recta ratione non pugnant 

The Dispute was carried on with the highest 
elegance and spirit, on both sides: And the 
Respondent, in particular, acquitted himself so 
well in this literary contest, that the Duke very 
soon after was pleased to present him to the 
Vicarage of Damerham in Wiltshire, in his 
Grace's private Patronage 5 which preferment 

was 



( iii ) 

was the more acceptable, as the Living was 
tenable with his Fellowship. Dr. Ogden took 
an early occasion of publicly expressing his gra- 
titude to his Noble Patron for so honourable a 
mark of his favour, in a handsome Dedication 
prefixed to two sermons, preached before the 
University on the 29th of May, and the 22d of 
June, in 1758. 

In 1764, he was appointed Woodwardian Pro- 
fessor. 

In 1766, he obtained the consent of the 
Duke of Newcastle to exchange the Living of 
Damerham for the Rectory of Stansfield, in 
Suffolk, in the Presentation of the Lord Chan- 
cellor ; and in the month of June in the same 
year, he was presented to the Rectory of Law- 
ford, in Essex, by the Master and Fellows of 
St. John's College : which two Livings, together 
with his Professorship, he held to his death. 

He died on the 22d day of March 1778, in 
the 62d year of his age ; and was buried In the 
Parish Church of The Holy Sepulchre in Cam- 
bridge ; where he had preached for several years 
after his return to College in 1753, and was con- 
stantly attended by a numerous audience, con- 
sisting principally of the younger members of 
the University. 

The Edition of his Works, now submitted to 
the Public, contains a Summary of Christian 
a 2 Faith 



( iv ) 

Faith and Practice ; exhibiting in detail, a com- 
plete system of all that is necessary to believe 
and do, in a way that is calculated at once to 
inform the understanding and to reach the heart. 
If the subjects of the following Sermons be com- 
mon, and have been often handled by other 
writers ; the style and composition of the author 
are peculiarly his own. In his mode of delivery 
there was something remarkably striking, which 
commanded the attention of alf who heard him : 
and the arguments adduced, to support and il- 
lustrate the great doctrines of natural and re- 
vealed religion, are so disposed, that few readers, 
it is presumed, can be found, who will not feel 
the force of them. 

In common life, there was a real or apparent 
rusticity attending his address, which disgusted 
those who were strangers to his character,, But 
this prejudice soon wore off, as the intimacy 
with him increased : and notwithstanding the 
sternness and even ferocity he would sometimes 
throw into his countenance, he was in truth one 
of the most humane and tender-hearted men I 
liave known. 

To his relations, who wanted his assistance, 
he was remarkably kind, in his life, and in the 
legacies left them at his death. His Father 
and Mother, who both lived to an extreme old 
age, the former dying at the age of 75, and the 

latter 



( v > 

latter at that of 85, owed almost their whole 
support to his piety. Soon after the death of 
his Father, in the year 1766, he wrote a Latin 
Epitaph to his memory, and caused it to be fix- 
ed, at his own expence, on a marble tablet, in 
the Collegiate Church in Manchester ; a copy 
of which the curious reader will not be displeas- 
ed to see. 



M. S. 



C vi ) 



M. S. 
THOMiE OGDEN 
Mancuniensis, 
Indole generosa, 
Moribus suavissimis, 
Sermonis comitate, lepore, modestia, 
Caeterisque humanioribus virtutibus adornati ; 
Eminente inter alias pietate, 
Primum erga parentes, 
Quos aetate confectos, 
E pluribus natis minimus, 
Ad se recepit, observavit, extulit; 
Deinde erga filium unicum, 
Samuelem Ogden, 
Quern tractavit educavitque liberalissime s 
Qui vicissim illi 
Non meritis parem, 
Lubenti certe animo, 
Gratiam referebat. 

.Obiit Anno Dom. 1766, 
iEtat. 75. 



Durin 



( vii .) 

During the latter part of Dr. Ogden's life, he 
laboured under much ill health. About a year 
before he died, he was seized with a paralytic 
fit as he was stepping into his chariot, and was 
judged to be in immediate and extreme danger, 
The chearfulness with which he sustained this 
shock, and the indifference with which he gave 
the necessary orders on the event of his dissolu- 
tion, which seemed to be then so near, were 
such as could only be ascribed to a mind per- 
fectly resigned to the disposals of Providence, 
and full of the hopes of happiness in a better 
state. A second return of the same disorder, 
which after the first attack he daily expected^ 
proved fatal. 

It may be necessary to add, that the five ser- 
mons On\ the Lord's Sapper, now first printed, 
had been prepared and transcribed for the press 
by the author, a little before his death: they 
carry about them the marks of their own ge- 
nuineness, and no one, at all acquainted with Dr. 
Ogden's manner, will have any doubts concern- 
ing their authenticity. 



S. HALLIFAX. 



POSTSCRIPT, 



Qui 7i07i defendit, alio culpanter— r-HoR, 

The account, contained in the preceding 
pages, of the author's life and writings, had 
scarce been printed off, when Mr Mainwaring's 
volume of sermons, to which is prefixed a Dis- 
sertation on that species of composite, was 
brought to me. The learned writer animad- 
verts with becoming freedom on many of the 
modern composers of sermons ; but there is no 
one who falls more frequently in his way, or on 
whom he has exercised his critical talents with 
greater severity, than Dr. Ogden. As some of 
the reflections thrown out on this occasion, if 
suffered to pass unnoticed, might greatly affect 
the character of our Author, and hurt the repu- 
tation he has obtained, and as should seem not 
undeservedly, from a discerning public ; I have 
taken advantage of the delay that has acciden- 
tally prevented the publication of the present 
edition, to vindicate his posthumous fame from 
the imputations cast upon it, and to examine 3 
with all possible brevity, the several parts of the 
above-mentioned Dissertation, in which the 
Doctor is concerned* 

Among 



( « ) 

Among the qualities enumerated by the Dis- 
sertator, as essential to the composition of a ser- 
mon, the first place is justly given to perspicuity. 
And here we are told, that " in this particular 
'¥. no writer of merit has ever failed more than 
" Dr. O. His style, though correct and chaste, 
" is, in general, unconnected and desultory ; and 
* c although his matter may be well arranged, as, 
" Mr, M ? believes, on a nice examination would 
" appear, the order, so far from being lucid, is 
" almost invisible." Now, though I do not quite , p - ! XXi ' 
understand how " the matter can be well ar- 
H ranged, and yet the order be invisible," I 
would beg leave to remark, that as far as per- 
spicuity depends on the sentiments and on the 'ex* 
pression, no one seems farther removed from 
blame than our Author : Not a single thought is 
to be found throughout his works, which is not 
naturally suggested by his subject ; not a single 
word or phrase which may not be justified, or, 
as Mr. M. might chuse to express it, sanctioned P ' 
by the practice of the most approved writers. 
With respect to the general plan of his Discourses 
on Prayer, on the Articles of the Christian Faith, 
on the Ten Commandments, and on the Lord's 
Supper, a bare inspection of the table of con- 
tents at the head of the volume will be sufficient 
to shew that the exactest method is observed. 
And as to particular sermons, taken by them- 
selves. 



C * ) 

selves, against which I suppose the objection is 
chiefly levelled, they are not indeed staked out 
into divisions and sub-divisions, all regularly 
marked by I, II, III, &c« 1, 2, 3, &c. ; they are 
not, as is said of some discourses of the old 
Puritans, split into four equal shares, in honour 
of the Four Evangelists, nor into twelve, in 
honour of the Twelve Apostles : but in every 
one, an intelligent person will be at no loss to 
discern both an unity of design, and a consis- 
tency of disposition : at the same time it need 
not be dissembled, each of these is purposely so 
contrived, as to leave something to be still per- 
formed on the part of the reader ; just so much 
as serves to keep up his attention, and, without 
the trouble of a serious investigation, to gratify 
his sagacity. 

But this general charge of want of perspicuity 
is brought home, in a Note belonging to another 
part of the Dissertation, to a particular instance, 
where the ingenious Dissertator, complaining of 
some writers who have " sacrificed perspicuity, 
" by endeavouring to assume the lively air of 
" the Socratic Dialogue," takes occasion to cen- 
sure the Sermons of the late Dr. O. " in which," 
he tells us, " the objections and answers come 
" upon us, and leave us, with so little notice, 
" that we scarce perceive what is their business, 
ixxxviii. " or who are the persons and characters intend- 

" ed." 



( xi ) 

" ed." I do not recollect more than two pas- 
sages in the whole collection of our Author's 
writings, to which the above censure can be ap- 
plied. One is in the 9th Sermon on Prayer, 
where the preacher communicates, and under the 
assumed air of a secret, to those who are afraid 
of hardships in religion, an infallible method of 
escaping them : And here, I think, his meaning 
is so plain, that the most illiterate reader can be 
in no danger of mistaking him. The other is in 
the 5th Sermon on the Articles of the Christian 
Faith, where the argument of Hume against the 
evidence of miracles is combated in a way con- 
formable to that of the old Greek dialogue, as 
it was used by Socrates to confound and disgrace 
the Sophists of his own days. Such an imitation 
of one of the most original models of writing in 
all antiquity, it might have been expected, in- 
stead of being imputed to the preacher as a fault, 
would rather have been mentioned as a matter 
of no vulgar praise ; and certainly, if ever allow- 
able in so grave a composition as a sermon, it 
could never be better introduced than on the 
present occasion, where it is adopted, and for 
precisely the same reasons as the irony of the 
Grecian sage, for the sake of detecting falsehood 
and establishing truth. The hearers of so elegant 
a representation of the dialectic genius of the 
Platonic school, — who^ it should be observed, 

were 



\ 



( xii ) 

were chiefly members of the University, where 
Mr. M. himself acknowledges it is lawfttl to de-' 
viate a little from the ordinary methods of 
preaching, — could not but immediately distin- 

p. xlv. guish the objections from their answers, when 
both were set off by Dr. O.'s delivery ; and few 
readers, I conceive, if of improved taste and 
cultivated understanding, as those who read the- 
sermons of Dr. O. and Mr. M. should be, will 
labour under the smallest difficulty to discover 
the kind of reasoning which is intended to be 

p.lxxxviii. employe J 

Another quality required in sermons by Mr. M. 
is purity or correctness ; a perfection our Author 
is permitted to possess, in the place already cited, 

p. Ixxi. where he is censured for defect of method. Yet 

ihmi^h^' even unc * er tms nea ^ tne Dissertator, never pro- 
correct digal of his praise, finds something to blame, as 
chaste, we ^ as something to commend. After having 
&c. ridiculed, and rightly enough, in his Disserta- 
tion, the custom of certain " divines, who delight 
" to sadden and solemnity their sermons with 
" Scripture passages, which have no propriety 
p. xxv. « e ither as proofs or illustrations he refers us, 
in a note, to Dr. O. whom he describes as " fre- 
" quently employing the Scriptures for such pur- 
" poses, or merely to lengthen out his short dis- 
p. lxxx. " courses." Now a sermon may either propose 
to our belief an article of faith, or recommend 



( xiii ) 

to our practice one of the duties of morality. In 
the former case, where the doctrine to be support- 
ed is a matter of revelation, and not discernible 
by human reason, there to shew by pertinent and 
apt quotations, that such a doctrine is indeed de- 
livered in the inspired writings, is not merely the 
best, but the only way to evince its truth : and 
many of Dr. O.'s sermons are confessedly of this 
nature. And even in the latter case, where the 
aim of the preacher is to inculcate some moral 
virtue, he ought not surely to be charged with 
saddening and solemnifying his composition, when 
he endeavours to enforce the duties of the reli- 
gion of nature, by the superior motives to be de- 
rived from the religion of Christ. That Dr. O. 
whilst engaged in this service* produces passages 
from Scripture, which " have no propriety either 
" as proofs or illustrations," would, I believe, be 
hard to shew, were every text he has cited par- 
ticularly examined \ but as this has not been at- 
tempted in so much as a single instance, I must 
continue to think that the old maxim, Bonus 
Teociuarius bonus Theologies, was never more 
eminently verified than in the case before us * 
and however unwilling I may be to dissent from 
Mr. M. I must still have leave to consider Dr. O. 
as I have been wont, a workman that needeth not 2 
to be ashamed, rightly dividing the xvord of truth ; 15 » 
©r as another Apollos, eloquent, and mighty in 

the 



( xiv ) 

the Scriptures, who mightily convinced his hearers, 
Actsxviii. and that publicly, shewing by the Scriptures that 
24?, 28. j esus was Christ. 

However, theDissertator goes on to inform us, 
if Dr. O. did not use the Scriptures for the above 
purposes, he used them for a worse, " merely to 
" lengthen out his short discourses. 55 I did not 
expect so harsh an assertion from so candid a 
writer as Mr. M. As to the passages themselves, 
selected from the sacred books, none, it is ap- 
prehended, are inserted with so little judgment, 
as to be destitute either of use or beauty. And 
the truth is, that instead of having recourse to 
illiberal arts to lengthen his discourses, the Dr/s 
chief employment, for some of the last years of 
his life, was to reduce such of his sermons, as he 
intended for the press, to the least compass pos- 
sible. In confirmation of this, I will mention a 
fact which fell within my own knowledge. The 
Sermons on the Ten Commandments were origi- 
nally 41, which are now melted down to almost 
half that number, and consist of 23 only : and 
the same severity was exercised towards the 
other sets of discourses, as is known to more 
persons than one, now living in the University of 
Cambridge. Had Mr. M. been aware of this cir- 
cumstance, he would not have ascribed to Dr. 
(). so unworthy a conduct as that of loading his 
sermons with Scripture, merely that they might 

the 



( xv ) 

the better hold out ; and I doubt not but he will 
be in haste to retract the imputation, the mo- 
ment he is convinced it was unjust. 

In the remaining part of the Dissertation I find 
nothing that particularly concerns the character 
of our Author, so as to require a formal answer ; 
only one cannot help observing the extreme cau- 
tion, I had almost said reluctance, with which 
any remark is introduced which is favourable to 
theDr.'s reputation, or might lead us to conceive 
a high opinion of his abilities. Thus his powers 
of exciting the passions are restrained to one sub- 
ject, that of the duties of parents and their chil- 
dren ; the sermons on which, we are coolly told, 
" a genuine pathos seems to pervade." A simi- 
lar reserve may be noticed in another place, 
where it is acknowledged that his " talent for 
" sublimity no one can doubt, or forbear to ad- 
" mire but this breath of praise is immediately 
blown away by the adjoining hints, that " subli- 
" mity is a quality not essential or even expected 
M in sermons, and its effect is fleeting and tran- 
" sient." And I cannot but think, that an 
oblique reflection is intended for him, where 
mention is made of " the flippant familiarity of 
" the snip-snap dialogue." 

I am at a loss to assign any probable reason 
that could induce so respectable a writer as the 
Dissertator to be thus rigid in his animadver- 
sions 



( xvi ) 

sious on one, who is past the power of replying 
to his attacks. In his Dissertation he speaks of 
the " scoffs and censures of a few envious or 
cg narrow-minded persons, who hate every ex- 

f. liii. « cellence which they cannot attain/' Mr. M, 
I am confident, cannot justly be included in this 
number. Was it then what he calls 6& the fatal 

p. xcvii. 6 c j ea lousy of authorship," that made him forget 
the natural humanity of his temper, and pro- 
voked his indignation against his fellow-collegian 
and friend ? Towards a living author one might 
have suspected this to have been the case ; but 
a dead writer, one would suppose, ceases to be 
the object of rivalship among his contempora* 
ries. But whatever were the cause, Mr. M. had 
an undoubted right to deliver his opinion on any 
learned performance, in whatever way he pleas- 
ed : a work given to the world every one is at 
liberty to censure, so it be done with urbanity 
and a love to truth ; and those especially are 
qualified to decide on the literary merits of 
others, who have themselves arrived at emi- 
nence in the profession of letters. 

Let such teach others, who themselves excel, 
And censure freely, who have written well. 

S. H. 

Cambridge, 7 
Uh July 1780. y 

CON- 



CONTENTS. 



ON THE 

EFFICACT 

OF 

PRAYER AND INTERCESSION, 

SERMON I. 

Of the Benefit arising naturally from Prayer, Page I 

SERMON II. 
Of the Prevalence of Prayer with God. 9 

SERMON IIL 

Of the Course of Nature. 1 9 

SERMON IV. 

Of the Excellence of Prayer. 27 

SERMON V. 

Bf the Benefit arising from Intercession to the Petitioner 
himself 35 

SERMON VI. 

Of the Benefit arising from Intercession to those Person^ 
for whom the Intercession is made. 43 

h SER- 



CONTENTS. 



SERMON VII. 

Of the Rectitude of the Divine Government, 51 

SERMON VIII. 

Of the Mercy of the Divine Government. 59 

SERMON IX. 

Examples of the Efficacy of Intercession. 69 

SERMON X. 
A Paraphrase on the Lord's Prayer* 79 



ON THE 



ARTICLES 

OJ THE 

CHRISTIAN FAITH. 

SERMON I. 

On the Being of God. Page 89 

SERMON II. 

On the Redemption of Man. 99 

SERMON III. 

On the Incarnation of Christ. 109 

SERMON IV. 

On the Sufferings of Christ. 121 

SERMON V. 

On the Resurrection of Christ, 1 3 1 

SERMON VI. 

On the Ascension of Christ. 141 

SERMON VIL 

On a future Judgntent* 149 
b 2 S E R~ 



CONTENTS. 

SERMON VIII. 

On the Being of the Holy Ghost, 157 

SERMON IX. 
On the Assistance of the Holy Ghost. 167 

SERMON X. 
On Zeal for Articles of Faith. 177 

SERMON XI. 
On the Forgiveness of Sins. 189 

SERMON XII. 

0?i the Resurrection qf the Body. 199 

SERMON XIII. 

On Everlasting Life. 209 

SERMON XIV. 

the Superiority of the Christian Religion over all 
other Religions. 219 



ON THE. 



TEN COMMANDMENTS. 



SERMON I. 
On the Unity of God. Page 233 

SERMON II. 

On the Use of Symbols and Ceremonies in Religions 
Worship. 243 

SERMON III. 

d Vindication of the Threatening in the Second Com- 
mandment, against Objections from Reason. 251 

SERMON IV. 

A Vindication of the Threatening in the Second Com- 
mandment, against Objections f&m Scripture. 26 i 

SERMON V. 

That all Oaths are not unlawful 271 

SERMON VI. 

Against common Swearing. 281 

SERMON VII. 

Whether the Precept of the Sabbath he now obligatory. 

291 
S E R- 



CONTENTS, 



SERMON VIII. 
On the Lord's Day. 301 

SERMON IX. 

The Duty of Children to Parents, commanded in Scrip- 
ture. 311 

SERMON X. 

The Duty of Children to Parents, required by the Law 
of Nature. 321 

SERMON XL 

The virtuous Behaviour of young Persons enforced, from 
a Principle of Duty to their Parents. 331 

SERMON XII. 

The Duty of Parents to Children. 341 

SERMON XIII. 
The Duty of Servants and Masters, 351 
SERMON XIV. 
On the Image of God in Man, and on Murder. 361 
SERMON XV. 
On Criminal Intentions. 369 

SERMON XVI. 
The Christian Law of Marriage. 379 

SERMON XVII. 

The Christian Ride of Chastity. 387 

SER- 



CONTENTS* 



SERMON XVIII. 

Against Oppression. $95 

SERMON XIX. 

Against Fraud. 403 

SERMON XX. 

On false Testimony in a Court of Justice* 4il 

SERMON XXL 

Against Calumny. 419 

SERMON XXII. 

The Evangelical Commandment. 427 

SERMON XXIII. 

On Contentment, and the Love of God. 4SS 



on rut 



LORD'S SUPPER, 



SERMON I. 
The Institution of the Lord's Supper. Page 445 

SERMON II. 

The Nature and End of the Lord's Supper not discover- 
able from the New Testament alone. 455 

SERMON III. 

T/ie Lord's Supper an Institution in Remembrance of the 
Death of Christ. 463 

SERMON IV. - 

The Death of Christ prefigured by all the Sacrifices re- 
corded in the Old Testament. 471 

SERMON V. 

The Death of Christ particularly prefigured by the Shu 
qperings of the Jewish Law. 481 



S E R- 



SERMON I 



MATTH. vii. 7. 

ASK, AND IT SHALL BE GIVEN YOU. 

The husbandman, desirous of a crop in the 
time of harvest, betakes himself to the use of 
such means as have been found to answer : he 
turns his field with the ablest hands, he adds 
the richest manure ; though he knows not, and 
will modestly own he knows not, why the ac- 
cession of such foreign matter, or the breaking 
of a clod, is so indispensably necessary to the 
propagation of a grain of barley. 

But we, who should teach you to cultivate 
that more valuable part of your possessions, the 
mind, and gather fruit unto life eternal, are apt j^n { 
to talk in a higher strain ; and not apprehend- 
ing any danger of experiments in this case to 
confute us, at least for the present, we lay down 
our decisions with the greater confidence. We 

B expatiate 



2 



SERMON I. 



expatiate on the ideas of rectitude and obliga- 
tion, free-will and fate, and substance, corpo- 
real, spiritual, and everlasting; till the world 
and its adorable Author, his attributes and es- 
sence, his power and rights and duty (I tremble 
to pronounce the word) be all brought together 
to be judged before us ; who stand, like infants, 
in admiration of the paper-fabric we have raised, 
and see the universal frame of nature within the 
little lines which we have drawn in the dust. 

Not that speculations on such subjects are in 
themselves wrong : then alone they become dan- 
gerous, when carried to excess ; when they en- 
gage perhaps too much of our attention ; when 
in proportion as our lights fails us, our presump- 
tion increases ; when we grow fond of erecting 
systems and theories ; when we are no longer 
in ignorance or doubts on any point, nor know 
things any more in parts, but all things universal- 
ly, with all their relations to every other subject, 
and as they make a part of the whole } when we 
will leave nothing unexplained ; and, in one 
word, when we lay greater stress on these no- 
tions of our own, than on the universal sense, 
and general sentiments and maxims of mankind. 

Indeed, the consequences of these conceits in 
Religion, and of this vain Philosophy, are not 
always so bad in fact, as might be apprehended 
from the absurdity of them. Common sense and 

nature, 



SERMON I. 



nature, though distorted by this violence, are 
making continual efforts to recover their bent 
and figure, and prevail frequently in practice 
against any theory. Just as, alas ! on the other 
hand, natural temper and passion exert them- 
selves with great power against the best argu- 
ments, and gain daily victories over well-ground- 
ed resolutions, and the lawful authority of the 
strictest reason. 

Among other subjects, that of Prayer has 
suffered from the indiscreet endeavours that 
have been used to explain it. 

The Scripture saith, Ask, and it shall be given Matt. vii 
you. The plain meaning of which words must 
surely be, That Almighty God may be moved 
by Prayer. Now, if it should happen, that we 
cannot well explain how this is done, it may 
still be true : and if we have laid down such 
laws for the regulation of the Divine Govern- 
ment, as will not admit this doctrine, we must 
alter them till they will. 

If indeed we ask amiss, that is, with a design James it 
to consume the divine gifts upon our lusts, the 
Scripture tells us, that this will hinder the effi- 
cacy of our prayers ; nay, that the prayer of the Prov. xv 
wicked is an abomination unto the Lord. xxviii. o. 

Should we even pray without this evil design, 
or with a very good one; still there may be many 
reasons why we may not obtain that which we 

B 2 pray 



SERMON I. 



pray for. It might not be truly good for us, 
however ardently we desire it ; it might be in- 
jurious or detrimental to other persons, or crea- 
tures, in a manner in which we have no suspi- 
cion, or even idea ; it might oppose some of the 
rules of Divine Government, of which we know 
little ; or be even a thing impossible, when we 
fancy it the easiest. 

Yet we are not therefore to conclude, that 
even these prayers are lost and useless, because 
they are so far unsuccessful. They may obtain 
for us other blessings instead of that which we 
desired, and perhaps greater and better: the 
piety and faith that are expressed in our prayers* 
whatever error we may have fallen into con- 
cerning the subject of them, must be acceptable 
to our heavenly Father, and tend to procure for 
us higher degrees of his favour, itself the great- 
est of all blessings, according to the Psalmist, 
Ps.lxiii.3. Thy loving kindness is better than life itself. 
And Prayer, as it is the exercise of a devout 
temper and disposition, will naturally increase 
in us that disposition, and make us more reli- 
gious and better men. 

This last consideration, as it is of great 
weight, so is it also of a very large extent ; there 
being no faulty temper of mind, but what may 
be brought to the test and corrected by devo- 
tion \ nor any part of the character of a good 

man, 



SERMON I. 



man, which by this exercise may not be made 
better* 

While you give thanks to Almighty God your 
heavenly Father for all the instances of his libe- 
rality and mercy ; acknowledging that you owe 
to him your life, and health, and all things ; that 
you have deserved nothing from him but punish- 
ment, while he is loading you with benefits ; 
that every moment of comfort in your life is the 
gift of him, against whom you have committed 
so many offences ; that he watches over you, 
when you think not of him ; and, when you 
knowingly displease him, he is ready to forgive ; 
that he has given up his own and only-begotten 
Son, who was in the bosom and glory of the 
Father, to a life of pain and sorrow, and a death 
of ignominy and anguish, that you might be 
freed from the punishment justly due to your 
evil deeds, and be made happy and glorious to 
all eternity with himself in heaven ; while you 
give him thanks in this manner for his goodness, 
your hearts, surely, must burn within you with 
the sense of it ; if you were not thankful before, 
such thanksgivings must make you so : they 
will beget that pious disposition in you, from 
which these thoughts might naturally flow, till 
your minds and words devoutly accord with 
each other, and you feel all the sentiments of 
gratitude and love which you express, 

B 3 Or 



6 



SERMON I. 



Or when you apply to your heavenly Father 
for mercy and forgiveness ; deploring your mani- 
fold violations of his holy laws ; taking shame 
for your own weakness, folly, depravity ; ac- 
knowledging not only his dominion over you, 
and absolute right to your most entire obedience, 
but the purity and excellence of his commands, 
in themselves most equitable, productive of 
good to all, necessary for your ow r n welfare, for 
your health, peace, prosperity, and honour, and 
for the enjoyment of your own mind within, ba- 
nishing the terror of death, filling the heart with 
hope and assurance, and leading to everlasting 
felicity; when you confess your offences against 
such laws as these, and yet beg to be forgiven by 
him who seeth the heart, and is both a witness 
and avenger of hypocrisy and falsehood ; and 
when you plead with the Father through the 
merits and intercession of his Son, who suffered 
willingly for your sins, and was offered for you 
a sacrifice to God upon the Cross ; when you 
do this, you take the most effectual method to 
make yourself a fit object of the divine mercy 
and forgiveness. Every one of these sentiments, 
which you thus breathe forth in his presence, is 
reverberated back upon your own breast, and 
melts it down into repentance and amendment. 

It appears then, that prayer is an employment 
of the greatest use, having a natural tendency to 

amend 



SERMON L 



amend the .heart ; and by consequence, it is a 
most important and necessary part of the duty 
of every person. 

Though this be indeed true, and sufficient to 
satisfy the most scrupulous, that prayer is not a 
mere ceremonial, serving but to sooth the super- 
stitious, amuse the ignorant, or employ the idle ; 
but, on the contrary, a reasonable service, and 
one of the natural means of moral and religious 
improvement ; yet it doth not seem to be the 
whole account of this subject, nor even the most 
obvious way of considering it. These advan- 
tages of prayer, however considerable, arise 
from it indirectly, and as it were by reflection. 
Certainly, when a plain Christian retires to his 
closet to beg the blessing of his Maker, the al- 
teration which his prayer will make in his own 
mind is not the effect he thinks of, or expects 
from his devotions. 

Nay, if this be indeed all that he is to expect, 
and he be made to comprehend it ; the disco- 
very, it is very possible, may be attended with 
inconvenience, a diminution of that very advan- 
tage which is supposed to be his only one. The 
earnestness of his prayers may be checked, by 
the recollection of the design of them ; and his 
fervour cooled, by the very consciousness that 
he is only endeavouring to excite it. 

There is something delicate in the nature of 

B 4 the 



SERMON I. 



the affections and passions ; which are found 
ready enough to rise, and exert themselves in all 
their strength upon the appearance of their pro- 
per objects : they wait for no other signal \ but 
are each in order in their stations, and prepared 
to execute the parts allotted them in the eco- 
nomy of nature. But if there is any apprehen- 
sion of design or art, any suspicion, as it were, 
spread among them of an intention to draw them 
out for other purposes than their own; they 
become reserved and backward, cold and lifeless 
in their operations \ and, in short, discover in 
every respect the symptoms of an unwilling 
obedience. 

A studied, affected, fictitious passion, betrays 
itself even to the bve-standers : and much more 
must it be known, surely, to my own heart, 
whether I feel a sentiment springing up natu= 
rally within me, or am only labouring artificially 
and deceitfully to excite it. 



SERMON XL 



MATTH. vii. 7. 

ASK, AND IT SHALL EE GIVEN YOU : SEEK f 
AND YE SHALL FIND. 

YOU may remember a little ancient fable to 
the following purpose. — An old man upon his 
death bed said to his sons, as they stood round 
him, I am possessed, my dear children, of a 
treasure of great value, which, as it is fit, must 
now be yours : They drew nearer : Nay, added 
the sick man, I have it not here in my hands ; 
it is deposited somewhere in my fields ; dig, and 
vou will be sure to find. They followed his 
directions, though they mistook his meaning. 
Treasure of gold or silver there was none ; but 
by means of this extraordinary culture, the land 
yielded in the time of harvest such an abundant 
crop, as both rewarded them for their obedience 
to their parent, and at the same time explained 
the nature of his command ; 

Our 





10 



SERMON II. 



Oar Father who is in heaven hath command- 
ed us in our wants to apply to him in prayer, 
with an assurance of success : ask, and it shall 
be given you ; seek, and ye shall find. Now, it 
is certain that, without his immediate inter- 
Isa.lix. i. position, were his ear heavy, as the scripture 
phrase is, that he could not hear; there is a na- 
tural efficacy in our prayers themselves to work 
in our minds those graces and good dispositions 
which we beg of the Almighty, and by conse- 
quence to make us fitter objects of his mercy. 
Thus it is that we ash, and receive ; we seek, 
and, like the children of the sagacious old hus- 
bandman, find also the very thing which we 
were seeking^ though in another form : our peti- 
tions produce in fact the good effects which 
we desired, though not in the manner which we 
ignorantly expected. 

But yet, allowing this consideration its full 
force, there is no necessity of stopping here, and 
confining the power of prayer to this single 
method of operation. Does the clear assurance 
of its use in this way preclude the hopes of 
every other advantage ? Must we needs be 
made acquainted with all the efficacy of every 
thing that is our duty, and know the whole 
ground and reason of all the actions which Al- 
mighty God can possibly require of us ? 

When the Israelites under the conduct of 

Joshua 



SERMON 11. 



n 



Joshua were commanded, upon hearing the 
sound of the trumpet, to shout with a great Chap. vL 
shout; and the wall fell down fiat 9 so that the 
people went up into the city, every man straight 
before him, and they took the city ; was the 
reason of this command, and the operation of 
the means to be made use of, understood by all 
that were concerned ? Was it the undulation of 
the air, think you, the physical effect of many 
concurrent voices, that overthrew the walls of 
Jericho? or, suppose the people were com- 
manded to shout in token of their Faith ; (for it 
was by Faith, as the Apostle speaks, that the Heb. ir. 
walls of Jericho fell down ;) which way is it 30 ' 
that Faith operates in the performance of such 
wonders ? 

You will say, no doubt, that these w r ere won- 
ders, and the case miraculous; and that we 
are not from such extraordinary events to draw 
conclusions concerning the general duties of 
Christianity. 

The drought that was in the land of Israel in 
the time of Elijah, I suppose no one will deny 
to have been miraculous. Yet we have the 
authority of an Apostle to conclude from it in 
general, that good men's petitions are efficacious 
and powerful. EUas was a man subject to like James v. 
passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that 17 ° 
it wight not rain ; cmtf it rained not on the earth 

by 



it SERMON II. 

by the space of three years and six months. What 
is this brought to prove ? That the effectual fer- 
vent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 
And this is the Apostle's argument : The prayer 
of the Prophet produced first a famine, and then 
plenty, in all the land of Israel ; and if you, 
Christians, exercise yourselves in confession and 
prayer, the disposition of your minds will be 
the better for your devotions. 

But the prayer, concerning which St James 
is speaking, may seem to you to belong to the 
same class with that of Elijah, and to be the 
prayer of men that could work miracles, 
Phil.iv.6. Hear another Apostle: Be careful for no- 
thing ; but in every thing, by prayer and supplica- 
tion with thanksgiving, let your requests be made 
Mown unto God. The plainest places in the 
Scripture will be mysteries, if the sense be this, 
that we can expect no help from God in our 
distresses ; but may try, by acts of devotion, to 
bring our minds to a state of resignation and 
contentment. 

Matt. iv. Give us this day our daily bread. Not a spar- 
Matt x r( ^w falls to the ground without your Father. 
29. so. The hairs of your head are numbered. Can the 
meaning of all this be, that God Almighty 
made the world ; that it is not to be altered ; 
and we must take the best care we can of our- 
selves, while we live in it ? 



SERMON II. 



King Ag?ippa 9 believest thou the Prophets ? 
said the great Apostle, arguing with equal soli- 
dity and eloquence in defence of that capital 
doctrine, the resurrection of our Lord from the 
dead. He desired no other concession, than 
the belief of the Scripture : on this foundation 
he undertook to erect the whole fabric of Chris- 
tianity. 

Do you believe the Scriptures ? If not, it is 
to no purpose to stand disputing concerning 
the duty of Prayer, or any other duty command- 
ed in the Gospel. We must rather return back 
to the first principles of religion, and lay again, 
as the same Apostle speaks, the foundation of 
faith towards God. Heb * 

But there is no occasion for this : you are de- 
sirous to go on to perfection ; admitting the 
truth of Christianity, and believing the Scrip- 
ture to be the word of God. 

The Scriptures teach you, that our Lord 
Christ being crucified, dead, and buried, the 
third day he rose again from the dead. Now 
this is a great and astonishing miracle : it is a 
thing of which we have no experience : it is 
against all our rules and observations ; and di- 
rectly contrary to the established order of the 
world, and the course of nature. Yet you be- 
lieve this, 

The Scriptures also tell you, that hereafter 

your 



SERMON II. 



your own bodies in like manner shall be raised 
from the grave, and stand before the judgement- 
seat of Christ. This event too, whenever it 
shall take place, will surely be another most 
amazing miracle, brought about by no rules or 
laws that are made known to us, or ever fell 
within the limits of our observation and expe- 
rience. Yet we believe it ; and live, or should 
do, under the influence of this persuasion. 

The same Scripture to which we give credit, 
while it records past miracles, is equally enti- 
tled to our assent, when it predicts, as in this 
instance, miracles to come. 

Suppose then the Scriptures were to acquaint 
us, that there are miracles performed at this pre- 
sent time, but either at such a distance from us, 
or else in such a latent manner, that we could 
not know by experience, whether they were 
wrought or no ; still there could be no room to 
doubt : a ready assent must be yielded to such 
a revelation by all who believe the Scriptures. 

isow, if the Gospel teach us doctrines, from 
which the existence of these miracles mav be in- 



ferred ; or if it command duties, in which these 
interpositions of Providence are supposed or im- 
plied ; it does enough to prove the reality of 
them, though we see them not, any more than 
we see yet the resurrection of the dead ; or, 
than we did ever behold any of those miracles 

which 



SERMON II. 



which were performed by our Lord when he 
was here on earth. 

There appears to be no difficulty in this mat- 
ter, to those who believe that any miracles were 
ever wrought, that is, who believe the Scriptures 
to be true ; nor any inducement or occasion to 
put ourselves to trouble in giving hard interpre- 
tations of texts, or forced and unnatural expli- 
cations of any part of our duty, in order to 
avoid, what can be no impediment in the way 
of a Christian, the acknowledgement of God's 
government and providence, his particular inter- 
position, and continual operation ; as it is writ- 
ten, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. John 

How magnificent is this idea of God's govern- 17 ° 
ment ! That he inspects the whole and every part 
of his Universe every moment ; and orders it ac- . 
cording to the counsels of his infinite wisdom 
and goodness, by his omnipotent will ! whose 
thought is power ; and his acts ten thousand 
times quicker than the light ; unconfused in a 
multiplicity exceeding number, and unwearied 
through eternity. 

How much comfort and encouragement to 
all good and devout persons are contained in 
this thought ! That Almighty God, as he hath 
his eye continually upon them, so he is em- 
ployed constantly in directing, in doing, what 
is best for them. Thus may they be sure, in- 
deed^, 



26 



SERMON II. 



Rom.viii. deed, that all things work together for their good* 
They may have the comfort of understanding 
all the promises of God's protection;, in their 
natural full, and perfect sense, not spoiled by 
Col. ii. s. that Philosophy which is vain deceit. The Lord 
i- S " XXm ' is 9 truly, their shepherd; not leaving them to 
chance or fate, but watching over them himself, 
and therefore can they lack nothing. 

What a fund of encouragement is here, as 
for all manner of virtue and piety, that we may 
be fit objects of God's gracious care and provi- 
dence, so particularly for devotion ! when we 
can reflect, that every petition of a good man 
is heard and regarded by him, who holds the 
reins of nature in his hand. When God, from 
his throne of celestial glory, issues out that un- 
controulable command to which all events are 
subject, even your desires, humble pious Chris- 
tians, are not overlooked or forgotten by him 
The good man's prayer is among the reasons 
by which the Omnipotent is moved in the ad- 
ministration of the Universe. 

How little is all earthly greatness 1 how low 
and impotent the proudest monarchs, if com- 
pared with the poorest person in the world, that 
leads but a good life ! For their influence, even 
in their highest prosperity, is only among weak 
men, like themselves ; and not seldom their de« 
signs are blasted from heaven for the insolence 

of 



SERMON II. 



27 



of those that formed tliem : Is not this great Ban. iv. 
Babylon, that I have built by the might of my aa 31 * 
power, and for the honour of my majesty ? While 
the word was in the King's mouth, there fell a 
voice from heaven, saying, The Kingdom is de- 
parted from thee. But the poor man's prayer 
pierceth the clouds ; and, weak and contemp- 
tible as he seems, he can draw down the host 
of heaven, and arm the Almighty in his de- 
fence, so long as he is able only to utter his 
wants, or can but turn the thought of his heart 
to God, 



C 



SE R» 



SERMON III. 



ACTS xvii. 27. 28. 

THAT THEY SHOULD SEEK THE LORD, IF HAPLY 
THEY MIGHT FEEL AFTER, AND FIND HIM ; 
THOUGH HE BE NOT FAR FROM EVERY ONE OF 
US : FOR IN HIM WE LIVE, AND MOVE, AND HAVE 
OUR BEING. 

There seems to be a tincture of the Epicu- 
rean doctrine, unobserved, perhaps, by them- 
selves, in the notion of those persons who tell us, 
that it is a more excellent and godlike thing to 
create a world that shall be able to subsist of 
itself, and perform, unassisted, every intended 
operation, than to produce such a system as calls 
for the continual interposition of its Creator. 

It is convenient, indeed, for man to have his 
little works subsist without his help ; because he 
cannot help them without difficulty and expense, 
and often not at all, as in distant places at the 
same moment : his attention is care, and his 

C 2 work 



20 



SERMON III. 



work labour : he is oppressed with weight, and 
distracted by variety. But to apply these ideas 
to God's government of his rational creatures, 
is surely to dishonour both Him and them : it 
is at the same time to degrade the freedom of 
their will to mechanism, and to ascribe their 
imperfections to the Almighty. 

If there be no trouble, disturbance, or diffi- 
culty to the Godhead, in interposing in the af- 
fairs of men ; why should we question his 
agency ? or be so anxious to ease him of what 
is no burden ? 

But do you suppose, that the Supreme Being 
is continually working miracles ? 

The Scripture supposes, or rather asserts, that 
he is not an unconcerned or indolent spectator 
Jer. xxiii. of what passes in his world : Can any hide him- 
self hi secret places, that I shall not see him, saith 
the Lord? do not I Jill heaven and earth, saith 
l Pet. iii. the Lord? The eyes of the Lord are over the righ- 
12, teous, and his ears are open unto their prayers. 
Ps.xxxiv. The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth them, 
IJ' and delivercth them out of all their troubles. He 

Ps.xxxiv. l/ 

20. keepeth all his bones, so that not one of them is 
iCor.xii. broken. It is the same God thai worketh all in 
6 - all. But which of his works you will please to 

call miraculous, is a point which, after all, may 

depend upon yourselves. 

For, 



SERMON III. 

For, supposing a course of nature carried on 
according to general laws ; if you call every act 
of Divine interposition a miracle, it is admitted 
that these interpositions obtained by prayer are 
miracles. 

But if you name only those acts miraculous, by 
which the Supreme Being causes, in the course 
of nature, an alteration discernible to men ; 
then you see on the other hand, that his inter- 
positions are not always miraculous ; and then 
only become so, when they are to be known and 
distinguished. 

Nor is it inconceivable that there should be 
innumerable events of a middle nature, I mean 
such, concerning which it cannot be /mown, but 
is left to be conjectured, with more or less pro- 
bability, as the case may be, whether they are, 
or are not, the effects of the particular will of 
the Almighty, changing or directing the course 
of nature. 

For his works bend not at our presence; but 
go forward in their own train, regardless of hu- 
man praise or censure ; and being the offspring 
of -Wisdom, are content to be judged by Folly. 

Or possibly, it may be the very intention of 
the Author of all things, and a particular pur- 
pose of his, to keep these acts of his Providence 
in the degree of uncertainty in which they ap- 
C 3 pear j 



SERMON III. 



pear ; as for reasons known to himself, so also for 
the better conduct of his moral government over 
us ; in the same manner as in many other ma- 
terial points, he neither instructs us with cer- 
tainty, nor yet leaves us wholly ignorant. 

And as to this course of nature, of which we 
hear so much, we are in absolute and utter ig- 
norance concerning the manner in which it is 
formed : it consists, perhaps, of continual and 
yet distinct acts of the Supreme Being, proceed- 
ing every one from a perfect free-will, and the 
most deliberate choice ; so that those, which 
we call the most miraculous interpositions, may 
be no way distinguishable, in the cause, from 
the most ordinary events, but only in the no- 
velty of the appearance to us. 

Or perhaps, on the contrary, (for these sup- 
positions are thus multiplied, to shew on every 
side the amazing extent of our ignorance, 
stretched out like a dark thick mist to an infi- 
nite distance, and covering the Universe with 
an impenetrable veil), as we know not how any 
thing is done from its beginning, and can see 
but a few of the links nearest us in that chain, 
which reaches from everlasting to everlasting ; 
who may take upon him to say, that the coarse 
of nature itself, though carried on with the most 
perfect uniformity, and without fresh interpo- 
sitions 



SERMON III. 



23 



sitions of Divine Power, might not be seen to % 
comprehend, could we view a larger portion of 
it, what we now esteem the greatest miracles ? 
The shooting up of a plant, in the eye of supe- 
rior beings, may be not more natural than the 
resurrection of the dead. 

Let us then, at length, be wise enough to 
acknowledge our ignorance of the ways of God; 
and leave these dark disquisitions, in which they 
who are not only ignorant but vain, feel after, Actsxvii, 
but never find him, though he be not far from 27, 
every one of us. The Lord is nigh unto all them p s . cxlv. 
that call upon him ; yea, all such as call upon him 
faithfully. How little soever they comprehend 
either of his nature or his operations, they are 
sure not only of his presence, but protection. 
He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him ; Ps. cxlv 
he also will hear their cry, and will help them; 19 * 
whether visibly or no, effectually; either by 
means that mix themselves unobserved with the 
course of events, as the small drops of rain are 
mingled imperceptibly with the current ; or 
else, descending with such abundant marks of 
his power and presence, that all men that see 
it may say, This hath God done ; for they shall Ps.Jxiv.o, 
perceive that it is his work. 

What sentiments of tenderness, admiration, 
and humility, ought we to feel, when we reflect, 

C 4 that 



SERMON III. 



that the great Lord of the Universe deigns to 
lend an attentive ear to the supplications of 
men S that he considers their wants and desires, 
and will do that which is best for them ; perhaps, 
what they ask ; if not, what they would ask, if 
they knew what he knows ! 

And not only good men ; sinners also may 
hence conceive hopes suitable to their state ; 
and encouragement, not to continue in their 
sins, but to repent of them, and call earnestly 
upon God for mercy and forgiveness : since he 
is ready to hear and to pardon ; both to remit 
to them the eternal punishment of their sins in 
the world to come, and to suspend, avert, or 
turn into blessings the present judgments, which 
he had prepared, and denounced against them. 
Jonah iii. . Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown. 

But the people believed God, and proclaimed a 
fast, and put on sackcloth, and cried mightily unto 
God. And God saw their zvo?ivS, tJiat they turn- 
ed from their evil way ; and God repented of the 
evil tliat he had said that he would do unto them, 
and he did it not 

There can be no doubt, but that virtue tends 
naturally to the prosperity and establishment of 
a state, and vice to its destruction : and is that 
cold maxim, think you, all that can be learnt 
from this astonishing event ? Public vices are 

frequently 



SERMON IIL 

frequently, found to be detrimental to civil so- 
cieties : was this all that the prophet Jonah had 
to deliver, when he cried, Yet forty days, and 
Nineveh shall be overthrow?! I And a reformation 
of manners is, generally speaking, and all things 
considered, of use towards the preservation of 
a community : was this the wise philosophical 
reflection made by the King, when he arose 
from his throne, and laid his robe from him, and 
covered him with sackcloth, and sat in ashes, mid 
said, Who can tell if God will turn and re fen £, 
and turn away from his fierce anger, that ive pe- 
rish not? * 

Or is not the true meaning of this history, that 
which is also the most obvious ? That Almighty 
God, in his justice and goodness, offended first 
with the sins of the people of Nineveh, had 
decreed and prepared for them an exemplary 
punishment ; and then, moved by their repent- 
ance and prayer, put a stop to the execution of 
it. God repented of the evil that he had said that 
he would do unto them, and he did it not The 
punishment, had it been inflicted, would have 
been the effect of his displeasure : it was avert- 
ed or delayed by the interposition of his mercy. 



SEE- 



SERMON IV. 



LUKE xi. 8. 

THOUGH HE WILL NOT RISE AND GIVE HIM, BE- 
CAUSE HE IS HIS FRIEND ; YET, BECAUSE OF HIS 
IMPORTUNITY, HE WILL RISE AND GIVE HIM AS 
MANY AS HE NEEDETH. 

Whence arises the mighty merit of Prayer^ 
if this be the recommendation so particularly 
powerful ? Ask, and ye shall receive : Why are 
we not rather commanded to labour, that we 
may deserve f Or how, in short, shall we recon- 
cile God's undoubted regard to desert, with the 
concessions he is represented as making to im- 
portunity f 

This may deserve to be considered : for though 
Almighty God be the master of his own favours^ 
and free, surely, to bestow T them wheresoever 
he pleases, without assigning to any one a rea- 
son, besides his own will ; according to that of 
the householder in the parable, Is it not lawful Matt 
for me to do what I mil with my own? and though, XXs 1 
whenever he has been pleased to annex any con- 
ditions 



23 SERMON IV, 

ditions to be performed on our part, or appoint 
means to be used, as prayer, or any other, wc 
have no choice left, but to comply, and be 
thankful ; yet when we are able to go further, 
and can discern, in some degree, the reasons 
on which such divine appointments are ground- 
ed, our meditations will be well and profitably 
employed on such a subject. The wisdom of 
the Supreme Governor must, in any case, be 
contemplated with delight and admiration ; but 
with devotion also and gratitude, when it is his 
wisdom in that part of his administration under 
which we live, and in those laws by which our- 
selves are governed. 

First then, when our heavenly Father lends a 
gracious ear to the petitions of his children, he 
is not inattentive to their behaviour, or regard- 
less of their merit. If you be a good man, your 
good works, you may be sure, are all treasured 
up in his remembrance, and will be brought 
forth, in due time, to your everlasting triumph. 

Secondly, You are not to lay aside your endea- 
vourSi when you have recourse to your prayers : 
you are to be as diligent and prudent, as if all 
depended on yourself ; and as devout and ear- 
nest, as if your own endeavours, without God's 
Prow xvl help, were insignificant ; as they are. A man's 
heart deviseth his *ucay, but the Lord directeth his 
steps. 

Thirdly, 



SERMON IV. 



29 



Thirdly, " Much less, when you pray, are you 
to throw away your piety and religion, which 
were a strange contradiction ; but rather you are 
to be very religious and holy, that your peti- 
tions may be the more efficacious. The power 
of prayer is to be added to that of a pious life : James ?. 
it is the fervent prayer of a righteous man that l ®' 
availeth much : while, the sacrifice of the wicked Prov. xxi. 
is abomination ; how much more, when he bringeth 27 * 
it with a wicked mind? 

Fourthly, Prayer, or it deserves not the name, 
has in its composition some ingredients, in the i Pet. iii. 
sight of God, and in the eye of reason also, of 4 ° 
great price : particularly two. 

The one is Faith : The Lord is nigh unto all Ps.cxlv. 

18 

them that call upon him ; yea, all such as call 
upon him faithfully. Without Faith it is impos- Heb. xi. 
sible to please him : for he that cometh to God, ®° 
must believe that he is, and that he is a rexvarder 
of them that diligently seek him. Abraham be- Gen, xv, 
lieved God, and he counted it to him for righteous- ^ 
ness; was pleased with it, as he is with every 3. 
thing that is right, and good, and excellent, and 
that in proportion to its goodness \ or even es- 
teemed such faith in him as the fulfilling; of all 
righteousness ; as it is, indeed, both intrinsi- 
cally right, and the great principle from which 
all righteousness springs. 

Almighty God is not the object of our cor- 
poreal 



so 



SERMON IV. 



poreal sight : Yet it were absurd to address our- 
selves to one that has no being, or is not pre- 
sent, or cannot help, or concerns not himself 
with our affairs, or is inflexibly resolved to be 
our enemy. When we pray, therefore, we sup- 
pose that there is nothing of all this ; but, on 
the contrary, that he has a true and real being, 
and is every where present through the whole 
Heb. ix, world and universe ; we perform this duty, as 
seeing him who is invisible* When we pray, we 
believe that God hears the supplications of those 
that call upon him ; that his power is infinite ; 
that the frame of nature is of his making, and 
still in his hand ; and that he hath respect unto 
his own work ; is not only beneficent and libe- 
ral, but patient and of great pity, ready and 
desirous to forgive those that return, and reward 
those that seek him. Now, those thoughts and 
sentiments with respect to the Supreme Beings 
are both right in themselves, and honourable to 
him ; and, together with those which more par- 
ticularly belong to revealed religion, (reliance 
upon his promises, the acknowledgement of his 
overflowing infinite mercy in Christ Jesus, and 
of his grace in the mission of his Spirit, and the 
expectation and ardent desire of that spiritual 
everlasting felicity brought to light by the Gos- 
pel), they make up the substance of a just way 
of thinking upon the greatest and most impor- 
tant 



SERMON IV. S3 

tant subject in the world ; and are the founda- 
tion of the most exalted affections, which knit 
the heart to God, and fill it with his love : and 
is it strange that prayer, which supposes these 
thoughts, flows from them, expresses, cherishes, 
and inflames them, should be a duty well pleas- 
ing to that gracious Being, who loves, and de- 
sires to be beloved by us ? or that he should ap- 
point it as one of the means of obtaining his ap- 
probation, and all those blessings, whatever they 
be, supernatural or common, of the world to 
come, or of this present, pertaining either to 2P e t.i.&, 
life or godliness, which he bestows in the wis- 
dom of his providence, as the effects of his 
favour ? 

There is also humility in prayer, and this is 
another strong recommendation of it to him, of 
whom it is often written, that he resisteth the j ames - 1V 
proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 6. 

It may seem to require a very small degree p rov * ' 
of the grace of humility, to acknowledge that 
God is stronger than man ; but it is the humili- 
ty and contrition of the heart that gives force to 
prayer ; and this either in prosperity or distress. 

The hardest task is to be humble in prospe- 
rity : when every thing succeeds beyond your 
most sanguine expectations, to ascribe nothing 
to yourselves, to your own conduct, sagacity, 
merit ; to look up to the Supreme Disposer of 

events 



32 



SERMON IV, 



events with an eye of gratitude., expressive of 
the deepest sense, both of his goodness, and 
your own unworthiriess. 

To thee, Lord, be all the praise arid glory for 
every thing we possess. Thou, in truth, art 
the only possessor of all : and we have severally 
such portions of what is thine intrusted to us P 
as thou in mercy and wisdom seest meet. We 
are only what thou art pleased to make us, ex- 
cept so far as we are wicked : and to thee is 
owing every event that befals us, but the just 
punishment of our evil deeds, which we must 
impute to ourselves. Us indeed thou sparest | 
Ps. xxiii. thou hast prepared a table before us, anointed our 
°' head with oil, and our cup is full : yet remember 

we our offences together with thy goodness ; 
how little we have deserved, while we receive 
so much. We desire to be thankful, obedient, 
1 Johniv. humble ; to love thee, who hast first loved us ; 
and, as thou didst love us in deed, and not in 
word, to live to thee, and for the good of others^ 
whom w T e would assist and comfort, as thou hast 
made us able, and do to them as thou hast done 
to us. The higher thy favour raises us, the 
more we bend ; hearkening to the desires and 
wishes of the lowest of those who are thy chil- 
Prov i. dren, Father, in common with ourselves. The 
32. prosperity of fools shall destroy them. O let not 
our wealth produce intemperance, or avarice ; 

our 



SERMON IV. S3 

Our power, pride 5 our authority, insolence; 
success, security, and forgetfulness of God. 
'Tis not without awful apprehensions, that w T e 
reflect even upon thy goodness. The stream of 
divine bounty by which we live, let us not be 
overwhelmed by it ; and undone by that mercy 
which is with t/iee, and for which thou art to be Ps. cxxx, 
feared. 

The sentiments and supplications suitable to 
a state of distress, are expressed in few words 
by him who was the greatest example at the 
same, time both of suffering and submission. 
He who was in the beginning with God, and was j hm\ 2. 
God, being become man, and about to be be- 
trayed, forsaken, blasphemed, and crucified, 
though he could have commanded all the hosts 
of Heaven, utters but these words, Father, let Matth* 
this cnp pass from me ; nevertheless, not as I will, XXVi ' 
but as thou wilt. 



Jj 



SER- 



SERMON V. 



JOB xlii. 10. 

THE LORD TURNED THE CAPTIVITY OF JOB, WHEN 
HE PRAYED FOR HIS FRIENDS. 

AMONG the several competitors for the throne 
of a certain ancient kingdom, in order to put 
an amicable end to the contest, and at the same 
time to refer the decision of it in some sort to 
Heaven, it was agreed, that he should be the 
successful candidate, who should first behold 
the rays of the rising sun *. So, while the rest 
w T ere gazing with their eyes fixed on that part 
of the horizon where they expected the great 
luminary of the day, the God of Persia, to as- 
cend, one of the number bore away the royal 
prize by turning his face towards the west. He 
discovered a stream of the sun's beams by re- 
flection from the summit of a mountain, or the 
D 2 pinnacle 

* — Eumque potissimunr, quasi acceptissimum diis^ Qui 
solem orientem primus vidisset. ■ • Justin, 



SERMON V. 



pinnacle of a temple, before any part of his orb 
was yet visible by a direct light. 

This story has the appearance of a little alle- 
gory, rather than that of true history : and it is 
possible the meaning may be this, that he who 
carried the crown in that competition, succeed- 
ed by not appearing too forward and eager in 
the pursuit. He modestly declined, he turned 
his face away from that great dignity ; and for 
this very reason, it met him with the more will- 
ingness. The things which we desire the most 
ardently, are not always to be demanded eager- 
ly. Extreme selfishness is often the cause of 
its own disappointment. The greedy go away 

Prov. xi. unfed ; while he that scattereth, increaseth, and 
the liberal are loaded with good. 

1 Kings The Lord appeared unto Solomon * and God 
said, Ask what I shall give thee. And Solomon 
said, Thy servant is in the midst of thy people 
whom thou hast chosen, a great people, that can- 
not he numbered nor counted for multitude : give 
therefore thy servant an understanding heart 
And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked 
this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life, 
neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast ask- 
ed the life of thine enemies, hut understanding to 
discern judgement : Behold, I have done accord- 
ing to thy words ; lo, I have given thee a wise 
and understanding heart : and I have also given 

thee 



SERMON V. 



thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches 
and honour. 

How charming is the contest between bene- 
ficence and modesty ! the liberal hand, and the 
disinterested bosom ! Even the receiver divides 
the glory with his divine Benefactor ; and his 
generous concern for others, returns with accu- 
mulated benefits and blessings upon himself. 

Attend to the example of Job. Under the 
pressure of his great calamities and afflictions, 
he applied himself, and no wonder, to God by 
prayer ; and being a good man, we may be al- 
lowed to suppose, that his petitions were not 
fruitless. But the petition which atchieved his 
recovery, or, however, that which he was of- 
fering up at the moment in which it pleased 
Almighty God to accomplish it, was a petition 
for other persons. It is written, The Lord turn- Job xlii 
ed the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his 10 * 
friends. 

How signal is this instance of God's dispen- 
sations ! what lustre doth it reflect upon that 
part of our applications to him, which we allot 
to the benefit of our brethren. You observe, 
that this eminent pattern of piety and of pa- 
tience had been both frequent and earnest in 
his supplications in his own favour ; complain- 
ing, pleading, and, like another Jacob, wrest- 
ling with God. that my grief were thoroughly v * u 
D 3 weighed! & al > 



3S 



SERMON V. 



weighed! it would be heavier than the sand; and 
my words are swallowed up. that I might have 
my request, thai God would grant me the thing 
that I long for ! Why hast thou set me as a mark 
against thee ? I will speak in the bitterness of my 
soid : Is it good unto thee, that thou shouldest op- 
press P that thou shouldest despise the work of 
thine hands ? Remember , / beseech thee, that thou 
hast made me as clay ; and wilt thou bring me in- 
to dust again f 

Job, we see, was sufficiently vehement in his 
own behalf : and yet, as if his expostulations 
Job xvi. were all in vain, Though I speak, saith he, my 
6. & al. grief is not assuaged : and though I forbear, what 
am I eased f God hath delivered me up to the un- 
godly. He breaketh me with breach upon breach. 
My face is foul with weeping, and on my eye-lids 
is the shadow of death. I have said to corruption, 
Thou art my father ; to the worm, Thou art my 
mother and my sister. God hath overthrown me : 
I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard ; / cry 
aloud, but there is no judgement. 

Not that this was strictly true ; or that his 
petitions even for himself were utterly without 
effect. God Almighty had mercy in store ; 
though he kept it back from him all the long 
time that he was making the most pathetic sup- 
plications for himself, and then bestowed it 
when he began to pray for others : The Lord 

turned 



SERMON V. 



39 



turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for 
his friends. 

Nay, these very friends, as they are here 
styled, hardly merited so favourable an appella- 
tion ; accusing him of crimes he had not com- 
mitted ; and upbraiding him with those punish- 
ments of his sins, which were, indeed, the trials 
of his virtue. And he was sensible of all the 
bitterness of their reproaches : Ye overwhelm Job vi. 
the fatherless ; ye dig a pit for your friend, jj^.&z 
your sold were in my soid's stead, J could heap 
up words against you, and shake my head at you. 
But I would strengthen you with my mouth ; and 
the moving of my lips would assuage your grief 
He teareth me in his wrath, who hateth me : he 
gnasheth upon me with his teeth : mine enemy 
sharpeneth his eyes upon me. 

Yet it was required of Job to become the in- 
tercessor for those very persons, and to beg for 
them the forgiveness of those offences, which 
had been committed against himself. And then, 
at last, after this illustrious testimony of his 
charity, added to those of his patience and 
piety, when his virtues were thus brought to 
the height, and appeared in all their glory; then 
it pleased the wisdom and mercy of God, break* 
ing forth out of obscurity, and made conspi- 
cuous by his judgements, to restore, and double 
his posterity. 

D 4 Now ? 



40 



SERMON V. 



Now, this practice of making intercession to 
Almighty God in favour of others, must natu- 
rally be of use to the petitioner ; if it be of any 
use to him to have his mind improved in virtue, 
in the most generous and noble dispositions, 
and every sentiment that belongs to the great 
principle of charity. He cannot but increase 
his benevolence, while he gives this proof of it, 
and mixes it with his religion. When he is sup- 
plicating the throne of grace in behalf of other 
men, for all manner of blessings for them, tem- 
poral, spiritual, and everlasting j can he wish 
James iii. them evil ? or ever after do it ? Doth the same 
11 9 fountain send forth sweet water and bitter ? Can 
rancour consist with such petitions, and dwell 
in a heart that is capable of these thoughts and 
desires ? Whatever be the event of his supplica- 
tions with regard to those who are the subject 
of them, they cannot come back empty : his 
requests for them will at least be successful for 
Ps.xxxv. himself, and his prayer return into his own 

■I o 

~°° bosom. 

Indeed religion, and the exercise of any part 
of piety, has a natural tendency to quell those 
tumults, and curb that selfishness of the mind, 
which are the sources of injustice. The mere 
reflection, that we are God's creatures, as other 
men are, and depend upon him as they do, and 
must be judged by him along with them, and 

enter 



SERMON V. 



41 



enter so soon upon a state of never-ending fe- 
licity or punishment ; these reflections must al- 
ways tend to cool our contentions about little 
matters, to reduce us to order, and, in short, 
to make us do to others, as we would they should 
do to us; which is a description of the whole of 
our duty to them. But when to these general 
sentiments of piety and equity, we add those 
tender feelings, which will naturally arise within 
us while we make ourselves intercessors with 
our common Father for some particular person 
among our brethren, one, it may be, who has 
meant or done us wrong, who pursues us with 
injuries undeserved, with calumnies unprovok- 
ed ; we shall then learn the power of such 
prayers better than by words ; shall be no longer 
straitened, as the Apostle speaks, in our own g Cor. vi, 
bowels : our hearts will be enlarged, to corre- 12 * 
spond, according to our measure, with the di- 
vine charity, till we apprehend that, for which Phil, iii 
also we are apprehended ; catch the same spirit, 12 ' 
by which the Redeemer was moved to lay hold 
on us \ and know the love of Christ, which pass- Eph. iil. 
eth knowledge. 19 > 



SER- 



SERMON VI, 



1 TIM. ii. 1. 

I EXHORT, THAT FIRST OF ALL, SUPPLICATIONS, 
PRAYERS, INTERCESSIONS, AND GIVING OF THANKS, 
BE MADE FOR ALL MEN. 

The social affections, which lead directly to 
the general good, are the sources of the highest 
satisfaction to the individual ; and the devotions 
and prayers, which are offered up to God for 
others, are those which bring down the greatest 
graces and blessings on the petitioner. You do 
not wonder to find features of resemblance be- 
tween Morality and Religion, two very nearly 
related, as well as inseparable, companions. 

A wise man, therefore, would cultivate in his 
mind a regard to others, were it only out of 
respect to himself ; and a pious Christian is fre- 
quent in the exercise of intercession, for the 
amendment of his own heart, and the increase 
of his happiness, both naturally, and by the 

divine 



SERMON VI. 

divine blessing. We are content to persuade 
men to mutual kindness, upon any principle ; 
and bring them into a happy habit of generosi- 
ty, whatever may be the motive to it. The 
harshness that is in the original seed, may wear 
out by cultivation, and the root of Selfishness 
yield the fruits of Love. 

However, both to do justice to the doctrines 
of Scripture, and give pleasure to the generous 
mind, w r e may safely add, that there is yet an- 
other argument in recommendation of this duty 
of intercession ; and that is, the welfare and 
happiness of those persons who are the subject 
of your prayers. There is ground to hope, that 
they may reap benefit from this act of your 
charity, and be rewarded openly for the peti- 
tions which you put up for them in private. 

Yes, surely ; and what occasion for this cau- 
tion ? (as a plain man might be apt to argue), 
for if my intercession can be of no use to them, 
why do I make it ? For your own sake, replies 
the philosophical Christian, and for the exercise 
and improvement of your charity.— -Can my 
charity be employed, when all the benefit is to 
be confined to myself? Is it charity, to intro- 
duce into my prayers the names of other per- 
sons, without any view to their advantage ?— 
Why, yes : because, speaking of them as per- 
sons to whom you wish well, you bring your 

mind 



SERMON VL 



mind to a better temper towards them ; and 
learn to take pleasure in their welfare, though 
you do nothing to promote it: you will, in- 
deed, be the readier to promote it yourself, if 
ever it should be in your power ; but you expect 
no addition to be made to their happiness, in 
consequence merely of your desire of it. 

But if this then, might he not ask, is to be 
my real aim and intention, when I am taught to 
pray for other persons, why is it that I do not 
plainly so express it ? "Why is not the form of 
the petition brought nearer to the meaning ? 
Give them, say I to our heavenly Father, what 
is good : but this, I am to understand, will be 
as it will be, and is not for me to alter. What 
is it then that I am doing ? I am desiring to be- 
come charitable myself. And why may not I 
plainly say so ? Is there shame in it, or impiety ? 
The wish is laudable \ why should I form de- 
signs to hide it ? 

Or is it, perhaps, better to be brought about 
by indirect means, and in this artful manner ? 
Alas ! who is it that I would impose on ? From 
whom can it be in this commerce that I desire 
to hide any thing I When, as my Saviour com- 
mands me, I have entered into my closet, and Matt. 
shut my door ; there are but two parties privy ^ 
to my devotions, God, and my own heart \ 
which of the two am I deceiving ? 

Cannot 



40 



SERMON VI. 



Cannot the serious sacred purposes of religion 
be answered, and proper dispositions wrought 
in us, without the garb of dissimulation, even 
with our Maker ? must we accustom ourselves 
to apply to him in words that convey not our 
real meaning ? 

Is there not too much refinement in these in- 
terpretations ? a mixture of that philosophy, 
which the Apostle Paul joins with vain deceit ; 

Coloss. ii. by which Christians are spoiled after the tradi- 
s 

tion of men, after the rudiments of the "world ? I 
fear, in another place says that great and truly 

2 Cor. xi. learned Apostle, lest, as the serpent beguiled Eve. 
through his subtilly, so your minds should he cor- 
rupted from the simplicity that is in Christ : that 
amiable character, which attends alike both 
upon Truth and Virtue ; which is seen with so 
much approbation in a Christian's life, and 
equally adorns the doctrines of his Gospel. 

i Tim. ii. I exhort, that first of all, supplications, prayers, 
intercessions, and giving of thanks, he made for all 
men / for kings, and for all that are in authority, 
—Why ? — that we may lead a quiet and peaceable 
life in all godliness and honesty : Is it a peace- 
able heart only, and a loyal temper, think you, 
that we are to cultivate in ourselves by such 
supplications and prayers ? Or do we put up 
these petitions to the heavenly King, in hopes 
that the kings of the earth at least may hear of 

them | 



SERMON VL 



47 



them ; and, by this artful management of our 
devotions, we may obtain from them what we 
seem to ask of another hand ? Or what other 
unnatural interpretation have you, in order that 
all may be performed according to the course of 
nature ? 

Or can you take up, at last, with this plain 
sense ; grounded, however, upon another text 
of Scripture ? That since the King's heart is in Prov.sxL 
the Jiand of the Lord, and he turneth it whfflier- 1<5 
soever he will, we therefore pray that he will so 
turn it, that Christians who lead their life in 
godliness and honesty, may be allowed also to 
lead it in quietness and peace. 

But can we suppose the Supreme Being thus 
violently to invade his own works, and overrule 
the minds of his creatures whom he hath made 
free P Where henceforth is their blame or merit ? 
and where his justice ? 

Leave we this to him, who knoweth whereof Ps. dit 
we are made, and punisheth us always less than ^ 
our iniquities deserve. He will not require brick is. 
without affording straw, nor call us to answer, 
but so far as he knows we are accountable. 

The doctrine of human liberty is a subject at- 
tended with many other difficulties ; and, in- 
deed,- is to a very great degree inexplicable : 
yet this is no disturbance to us ; but in our 
commerce with each other, we proceed without 

scruple. 



48 SERMON VL 

scruple, and without danger, under the persua* 
sion of it* 

And as the belief of marts freedom is admit* 
ted in the conduct of human life ; the doctrine 
of the Divine Providence is not less essential to 
religion. There may be difficulties here too - f 
and no wonder, on such a subject : the nature 
and government of the Infinite Being ; his de- 
crees established from eternity ; his foreknow 7 - 
ledge that cannot err ; his wall controuling all, 
and his justice punishing the wdcked. Points 
like these, of which we must needs conceive 
very imperfectly, may be explained, till they 
become contradictory ; and then raised up into 
gigantic objections. Which if we have dexte- 
rity enough to deal with, by the help of similar 
weapons, and the same learning of words, it is 
very well. But these difficulties, if they cannot 
be answered, must be overruled". It is neither 
so easy, nor so important, to be able to unravel 

2 Tim. i. such intricacies, as to hold fast the form of sound 
"words. Almighty God is the original Author 
of our life and happiness: for which w r e are 
obliged to him. He was the true, the only 
proper Agent in the first formation of things ; 
and is still employed in the preservation and 

Ps. cxxi. government of what he made. He slumbereth 

Ps xxxiv n0 n0T s ^ ee P e ^ u e y es are over A 2e rigfe 

l&> teous, and his ears open to their prayers. And 

this 



SERMON VI. 



this not only when they pray for themselves, 
but for other persons : persons absent, and un- 
acquainted with what is doing in their behalf ; 
who yet, whether you can explain it by physi- 
cal causes or no, receive real benefits and bless- 
ings from the merciful Providence of God, and 
through the prayers and piety of good men. 
Of this there are many instances upon record 
in Holy Scripture : the precepts of our Lord, 
and the duties of our religion, suppose and im- 
ply it : it is contrary to no truth made known 
to us by experience or reason : and we must 
hold it as an acquisition too valuable to be given 
up to the clamour of Infidels, or the obscure 
speculations of the metaphysical Believer. 



E 



S E R« 



SERMON VIL 



JAMES v. 16. 

PRAY ONE FOR ANOTHER. 

Intercession in favour of other persons, is no 
doubt highly advantageous to ourselves; as. it 
tends naturally to increase in our minds a cha- 
ritable and pious disposition ; the greatest of 
all graces and virtues, and the most efficacious 
means of bringing down the divine blessing on 
our head, both in this world and that which is 
to come. 

But though these are great benefits arising 
from so virtuous an exercise, and sufficient, 
surely, to recommend it to all persons, who de- 
sire to be good and happy ; yet they are neither 
the only effects to be expected from it, nor are 
they, indeed, the direct, proper, and natural 
end which we have in view, when we draw near 
the throne of the Divine Grace, to discharge at 
once this office of piety to our Creator, and 
charity to our fellow-creatures. 

E 2 When 



52 



SERMON VIL 



When we pray to God for other men, the 
direct object of our desires is, surely, their 
welfare and happiness ; as when we pray to him 
for ourselves, we desire our own. We beg him 
to bless our parents, wives, children, friends, 
and even our enemies ; because we truly desire 
that they may be blessed : and our prayers, we 
hope, are the way, or one way at least, to ob- 
tain for them this inestimable treasure, the fa- 
vour and mercy of the Almighty. 

But it may be said, that Almighty God, be- 
ing righteous and just, must deal with every 
person according to his desert : when we inter- 
cede, therefore, for the good and virtuous, our 
prayers are superfluous ; and when we pray for 
the wicked, our application must be in vain. 

But, alas ! what are our vaunted virtues, that 
call for rigid justice ? We have deserved very 
little besides shame and punishment : and if 
our Judge should be extreme ', as the Scripture 
Ps. cxxx, speaks, to mark what is done amiss, "who may a~ 
bide it ? Is it for us to require such exact mea- 
sure, and shut out the overflowings of the divine 
mercy ? Has the Lord of all things fewer rights 
than any earthly master ? who having been first 
just, has leave to be liberal ; and after he hath 
left no service without a fit recompence, may 
Matt. xx» do what he will with his own. 

But you think, perhaps, that it would be a 

more 



SERMON VII. 



mare eminent exercise, if not of justice strictly 
speaking, yet of government, if the Supreme 
and Perfect Ruler would not make use of such 
arbitrary rights, as weak men delight in ; but, 
according to the absolute rectitude of his na- 
ture, would be pleased to confine himself to the 
precise rule of right ; making the felicity of 
every moral agent throughout the universe most 
accurately proportionable to his improvement in 
the quality of virtue. 

Behold^ even to the moon, and it shineth not ; Job 

5 6 

yea, the stars are not pure in his sight : how 3 
much less man, that is a worm I yet can we sit 
and dictate to that wisdom, which reach eth 
from everlasting to everlasting ; with scarce a 
meaning to the orders w r e issue out, and in the 
most profound ignorance of what is good, or 
may at all be possible ! 

Nothing is to be given to any moral agent, 
but for his merit ! He is to be made, I suppose, 
without it. His creation, and the faculties 
proper for his nature, are capital gifts, and the 
foundation of all that are to follow : yet these 
you will allow to be conferred for nothing ; or, 
at least, for nothing that he himself can have 
done to purchase them. This, we perceive, 
you consent to ; because, from the nature of 
the thing, in this case, your rule is not appli- 
cable, 

E 3 But 



SERMON VII. 



But you require all moral agents to be creat- 
ed in the same rank; and endowed with equal 
powers and faculties at first, till they shall have 
raised themselves by their behaviour ! 

That may happen to be long. And, in the 
mean time, there may be left a vast void of be- 
ing, where superior faculties may even be want- 
ed, might however be possessed, and well ap- 
plied also, to the immense increase of the sum 
of universal felicity, and even virtue. So that 
while you are thus a friend to virtue in appear- 
ance, you put a stop to the most magnificent 
display of the divine powers, to the profusion 
of bliss, and wide extent and infinite multipli- 
cation of that very moral excellence, which you 
are so assiduous to advance. 

But moral creatures of the same rank and 
class of being, these at least, you are sure, 
ought to be treated all in the same manner, and 
distinguished only after they have deserved it ! 

All men, for example, should be endowed 
with equal capacities of body and mind, and 
have the same advantages of education, fortune, 
health, pious parents, and good examples ? But 
we find men do differ in these things, and in 
many others, which must have great influence 
on their condition, even in the world to come, 
as far as we can judge, if we judge by their im- 
provements in piety and virtue. 

We 



SERMON VII. 



We make no scruple to thank Almighty God 
for the light of the Gospel, and for the happi- 
ness we think we have, in being born in a 
Christian country ; and we persuade ourselves 
without any difficulty, that our lot is the more 
favourable on this account with respect to this 
world, and especially that which is to come. 
Yet all other men have not this advantage. 
The greatest part of men that have yet been 
born, died before the Gospel was preached ; and 
the greatest part of those who are now alive, it 
is probable, have hardly ever heard of it. 

So that you see, how excellent soever your 
rule may seem to be, there must be some flaw in 
it : for Almighty God appears not to guide him- 
self by it ; and yet we make no doubt but he 
doth right, and acts both wisely and equitably. 

Would you carry the objection any further ? 
Yes, it is just possible to add, allowances may 
be made for all these inequalities at the day of 
judgement ; so that finally, and upon the whole, 
nothing may prevail but virtue ; and that be 
weighed and rewarded with the utmost impar- 
tiality and exactness. 

And what do you infer from this ? not surely, 
That no one can receive either benefit or disad- 
vantage from any person besides himself. The 
poor man, we hope, will be considered for his 
patience, when he appears before the great tri- 

E 4 bunal : 



SERMON VII. 

bunal : And is it therefore no charity to relieve 
him ? Is there no harm done in the world by ill 
examples, because the strength of this tempta- 
tion, and of every other, will one day be at- 
tended to ? Can I do no man any good upon 
earth, because he is hereafter to be judged with 
justice ? What is it then we live for ? or why 
have we in Scripture so many exhortations to 
good works, to alms-giving, to hospitality, to 
mercy ; to feed the hungry, clothe the naked ; 
to visit the sick and imprisoned, the fatherless 
and the widow in their affliction ? How, indeed, 
should I exercise or cultivate within my own 
breast the grace of charity, if I know that it 
can have no object ? Or why so much as think 
even of justice, if no man can ever be the worse 
for me? 

Such a conclusion therefore as this, That no 
one can receive good or harm from any person's 
actions but his own, whatever maxim it be dedu- 
ced from, must be wrong : it is either not true, 
or w r e are to think and act as if it were not. 

Since Almighty God hath put our happiness 
in the power of each other, to so great a degree 
as we see he hath ; he may have done the same 
thing further, or in other instances. If he is 
pleased visibly to make use of our good will and 
kindness, as his instrument in conferring on 
other persons so many and such important be- 
nefits, 



SERMON VIL 



nehts, lie may use our service here too, if he 
sees fit ; and to our endeavours may require us 
to add also our prayers for their advantage. 
And our intercessions with him may be as much 
the regular and necessary means of obtaining 
for them some blessings, as our labour or bene* 
factions are the means by which they become 
possessed of others. 

The world is God's world ; and the course of 
nature is what he makes it. Yet sometimes a 
poor man is left to want bread, you see, except 
you give it him ; and mercy, for aught you 
know, except you ask it for him. 

Upon the whole, therefore, it appears, first 3 
That the prayers of pious persons have an in-, 
fluence with that great Being to whom they are 
addressed, and an efficacy in obtaining what is 
desired of him ; though there may, no doubt, 
be reasons of such weight in some instances, as 
to obstruct the success of their petitions : and, 
secondly, That the intercessions of good men, 
their most retired and unknown applications to 
God in favour of other persons, may be of real 
advantage, not only to those who make them, 
but to those also who are so happy as to be the 
subject of their intercession, 



SER~ 



SERMON VIII 



PHILIP, iv. 6. 

BE CAREFUL FOR NOTHING ; BUT IN EVERY THING- 
BY PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION, WITH THANKS- 
GIVING, LET YOUR REQUESTS BE MADE KNOWN 
UNTO GOD. 

The design of general prayers for God's bless- 
ing and protection is scarce conceiveable, un- 
less we suppose that the petition has some power 
and efficacy to obtain that which is desired ; but 
the design of particular requests, or such as fix 
on a determinate object, is, without this sup- 
position, utterly unintelligible. 

God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit Rom. 
in the Gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I &c * 
make mention of yon ; always in my prayers mak- 
ing request, ( if by any means now at length I 
might have a prosperous journey by the will of 
God ), to come unto you : for I long to see you. — 

What earnestness is here in the Apostle I 
agitated between fear and hope, and struggling, 
as it were, with God, to try, if possible, after 

so 



60 



SERMON VIII. 



so much delay, and many disappointments, he 
might at length obtain what he had desired so 

earnestly 1 

Far be it from us to depreciate the duty of 
resignation to the divine will ; as it was very far 
from St Paul's intention to suggest any thing 
in disparagement of this sublime virtue. Yet, 
surely, we may venture to affirm, that it would 
be an imperfect account of the design of these 
unceasing supplications which were made by 
the Apostle, to say, That he was expressing his 
confidence in God, and assured expectation, with 
a sincere consent on his part, that he would do 
what was best, and by the properest and most ef- 
fectual means promote the greatest good * ; as in 
other things, so particularly in all that might 
relate to this journey to Rome. For is it not 
plain, that he represents his prayers on this sub- 
ject, and his constancy and perseverance in 
them, as endeavours on his part, and means 
which he made use of for the accomplishment 
of his desires ? He made request, he tells the 
Romans, if by any means, it might be the will of 
God that he might come unto them. 
2 Cor. xii. There was given to me, saith the same Apostle 
in another place, a thorn in thefiesh, the messen- 
ger of Satan to buffet me. For this thing I be- 
sought 

* Abernethy cn the Divine Attributes, Vol. II. S. 11. p. 409. 

Printed at London, 1746. 



SERMON VIII. 



61 



sought the Lord thrice. How ? with what pur- 
pose ? was it only that he might learn to confide 
in him ? or give his consent to suffer ? Take his 
own words : For this thing I besought the Lord 
thrice, that it might depart from me. 

It is not asserted, that such prayers are al- 
ways granted : but you see in what terms, and 
with what view they are made ; and that by the 
best of men, whose example is recorded in 
Scripture. 

Well then, it may be said, (for philosophy is 
apt to be disputatious), if you are not content 
with expressing your consent and confidence that 
God will do what is best ; you desire him, per- 
haps, to do otherwise ; you ask him to do what 
is not best : and whether, answer me, do you 
hope, or do you wish to prevail with him ? 

I answer, that God will do what is best, whe- 
ther we consent or no, and whether we pray or 
no ; and though we should resist, or blaspheme 
him : that is, he will do what will be then best ; 
what will be fittest for him to do, in that case $ 
upon supposition that we do nothing, or no- 
thing but what is wrong. But without our 
pious endeavours, and earnest prayers too, that 
best which he will do, will not be the best for 
us, we are sure ; nor so good, perhaps, as it 
might be even for other persons. 

It is not the design of prayer, we are told, to 

persuade 



SERMON VIII. 

persuade the Supreme Being to alter his mea- 
sures * : and, we may be assured, that by the pro- 
per est qnd most effectual means he mil promote the 
greatest good t. 

Blessed be his name; it is his care. The 
universe is too large an object for us to have in 
view in our conduct. It is for us to discharge 
the duties of our station, and all will be well. 

And if we will not discharge our duty, all 
will still be well. The Infinite Wisdom may 
bring good out of evil. Our vice and misery, 
and that of others whom we have ruined, may 
be all made to contribute in his hands to this 
great end of good. Yet, surely, it is in our 
power, it is our duty, it is his will, that we 
should not contribute to the general good in 
this manner ; but in another ; by our virtue, 
and piety, and devotion ; by doing what good 
we are able, and looking up to him for protec- 
tion, and calling out to him for assistance. And 
we may hope, that such a conduct as this, un- 
der the government of his providence, will con- 
tribute also, and as much at least as our vices 
or punishment would have done, to the end you 
speak of, the greatest general good. And at 
the same time we have the comfort to know, 
that our virtue and piety will do good to our- 
selves ; and, we trust, to others ; as it is writ- 
ten , 

* Aber. p. 412. t Aber. p. 4Q£. 



SERMON VIIL 



6S 



ten, Thy "wickedness may hurt a man as thou art, Jobxxxv, 
and thy righteousness may profit the son of mail. 

Hezekiah was sick unto death. And the pro- 2 Kings 
phet Isaiah came unto him, and said. Thus saith xx ' lj &c * 
the Lord, Set thine house in order ; fur thou shalt 
die, and not live. Then he turned his face to the 

wall, and prayed. And it came to pass, afore 

Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that 
the word of the Lord came to him, saying, Turn 
again and tell Hezekiah, Thus saith the Lord, 
the God of David thy father, I have heard thy 
prayer, I liave seen thy tears : behold, I willlieal 
thee. On the third day thou shalt go up unto the 
house of the Lord. And I will add unto thy days 
fifteen years. 

Did Hezekiah's prayer persuade the Supreme 
Being to alter his measures ? 

Besides the addition to his own term of life, 
his supplications seem to have procured also fa- 
vour for his people. / will add unto thy days 
fifteen years; and I will deliver thee, and this 
city, out of the hand of the King of Assyria. 

It is added, And I will defend this city for 
mine own sake, and for my savant David's sake. 
The piety even of King David also comes in, 
you see, as some reason still, so long, long after 
his death, for mercy to the Jews, and the pro- 
tection of Jerusalem. 

Where then are all our calculations of human 

merit. 



61 



SERMON VIIL 



merit, and God's goodness ? proportions be- 
Eph. iii. tween our scanty virtue, and the fulness of him 
20 * that is able, and willing too, to do exceeding a- 
bundantly, above all that we, not only deserve, 
but aslc, or think? What is the measure of his 
Ps. Ivii. bounty, whose mercy reacheth unto the heavens*, 
IsaJi. 8. anc ^ n * s sanation from generation to generation. 

Is it not enough, that we know so much of 
Kehem. his thoughts and providence, that he is slow to 
Jonah iv. anger, and of great kindness ; condemns un- 
2- ^ willingly, forgives with joy $ punisheth us less 
xviii. si, than our iniquities deserve, and for a little ser- 
Luke xv v * ce ' 01 a tight affliction, that is but for a moment, 
'7, io. repays us with a far more exceeding and eternal 
^ zraix - weight of glory f 

2 Cor. iv. When we are sure he will do us no wrong, 
let us allow him to be as liberal as he pleases, 
and to whom he sees fit : not imitating the re- 
bellious, and afterwards repining prophet, who 
would readily have been the messenger of God's 
wrath, but for the fear of becoming the minis- 
ter of his mercy. Because slvscore thousand 
persons that were innocent, and many more, 

Jonah iv, probably, that were penitent, perished not, it 
displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very 
angry ; complaining to his Maker, even of his 
goodness, and reproaching him with his dispo- 
sition to forgive : Lord, was not this my say- 
ing ? I knew thai thou art a gracious God, and 

merciful. 



SERMON VIII. 



65 



merciful. Therefore, now, O Lord, take, I be- 
seech thee, my life from me ; for it is better for 
one to die, than to live. 

Happy, happy is it for us, that our Judge and 
Lord is not man ; mean, and petulant, revenge- 
ful, inexorable, and cruel : bearing in mind the 
offences, perhaps the slips and follies of his crea- 
tures for ever, and treasuring up all their infir- 
mities against the day of vengeance. 

Yet the noble, or the tender-hearted, even 
among men, relax and soften at the miseries, at 
the supplications of those, who are brought 
down and humbled before them : and if they 
must not pardon, punish with a tear. 

How much more is the Lord nigh unto all Ps. cxlv 
them that call upon him, that call upon him faith- 
fully ! He "will fulfil the desire of them thai fear 
him ; he will hear their cry, and mil help them. 

Thou slialt call, and the Lord shall answer ; i S a. Iviii. 
thou shalt cry, and he shall say, here I am. Nay, 9 * 
it shall come to pass, saith the Lord, that before Isa. Ixv. 
they call, I mil answer ; and while they are yet 2 *' 
speaking, I will hear. 

My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are isa.lv. 8, 
your ways my ways, saith the Lord : for as the 
heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways 
higher than your ways, and my thoughts titan your 
thoughts. 

All the regard that is on earth from one man 
F towards 



66 



SERMON VIII. 



towards another, the fidelity of a friend, the 
pity of a father, the fond solicitude of the most 
tender mother for her offspring, do but faintly 
represent the love of God to men. And is it 
a wonder, that their very desires and wishes are 
before him, their wants weighed in his balance, 
their tears numbered in his book ? 
Isa. xlix, Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my 

14. &c. j^Qrd ] ia f]i forgotten me. Can a woman forget 

her sucking child, that she should not have compas- 
sion on the son of her womb ? yea, they may for- 
get ; yet mil I not j or get thee. 
Isa. lxiii. Look down from heaven, and behold from the 

15, haUtation of thy holiness, and of thy glory : where 
is thy zeal, and thy strength, the sounding of thy 
bowels, and of thy mercies towards me ? are they 
restrained? Doubtless, thou art our Father, 
though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel 
acknowledge us not : thou, O Lord, art our Fa- 
ther, our Redeemer. 

You see, both what professions Almighty God 
condescends to make of his good will to men \ 
and with what zealous importunity pious per- 
sons at all times have called upon him in prayer, 
by a multitude of titles laying claim to his at- 
tention. And were they only endeavouring to 
work upon their own temper and affections ? 
Did they hope for nothing directly from him, 
of whom they asked so much ? Or were their 

hopes 



SERMON Vlil. 



hopes vain and groundless ? and these holy per- 
sons ignorant of the true] nature and design of 
prayer ? Is there no real foundation in reli- 
gion for the expectations they seem to have en- 
tertained ? and were these Prophets and Saints, 
with respect to the efficacy of their petitions, in 
no better condition than the idolatrous worship- 
pers of the god Baal ? They cried aloud, and i Kin 
cut themselves after their manner with knives and xvm> 
lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them : but 
there teas neither voice, nor any to answer, nor 
any that regarded. 

Be as good and virtuous as you please, as you 
can : the more good you do, the more you shall 
receive. Nothing will be lost : not the smallest 
particle of your piety and virtue shall fall to the 
ground and perish ; but all be safely laid up for 
you in the booh of God 9 s remembrance. 

But being sure to receive, yourselves, an 
ample and abundant recompence for every pos- 
sible degree of your own goodness ; suffer the 
overflowings of his bounty to reach even to the 
less deserving ; to those perhaps whose calami- 
ties alone recommend them to his pity, or for 
whom nothing can be alleged, that you know 
of, but that they desire to be forgiven. Call 
him not too strictly to account for his conde- 
scensions : give him leave to be liberal, even 
without rule : and let the dogs be fed with the Matt. 
crumbs that fall from their master's table. 27, 

F 2 Or, 



6S 



SERMON VIIL 



Or, if lie must apologize for this redundancy 
Luke xv. of his mercy, he hath already done it. Son, 
" ' ' thou art ever "with me, and all that I have is thine i 
while I forgive thy brother's faults, can I forget 
thy obedience ? being witness of my goodness, 
rely at least upon my justice : add to thy many 
virtues, this highest grace of kindness to the 
undeserving, and divine joy at their amend- 
ment. It is meet that we should make merry and 
he glad : for this thy brother was dead, and is 
alive again ; and was lost, and is found. 



SEE- 



SERMON IX, 



ISAIAH liii. 12. 

HE BARE THE SIN OF MANY, AND MADE INTERCES- 
SION FOR THE TRANSGRESSORS. 

In the charitable and holy exercise of inter- 
cession, Christians may mutually confer and re- 
ceive the same kindness ; and by means of this 
happy interchange of pious offices, each person 
reap the benefit of the devotions of all. 

The efficacy also of our devout applications 
to the common Father of us all is increased by 
their union : so that we may safely adopt the 
Preacher's maxim, If one prevail against him, EccL iv. 
two shall withstand him ; and a threefold cord is 12 ' 
not quickly broken. 

Nay, our Lord goes so far, as to ascribe to 
this union of our requests an efficacy irresistible : 
I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on Matth. 
earth, as touching any thing that they shall ask, xvm * 
it shall be done for them of my Father which is in 
heaven. 

There is something in intercession so pecu- 
liarly pleasing to Almighty God, and prevalent 
with him, that a good man will obtain more, it 
» F 3 almost 



70 



SERMON IX. 



almost seems, for another, than he is able to do 
by the most importunate application for himself 
The Angels, that were sent to destroy the 
cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, brought forth 
Gen. xix. Lot, and said, Escape for thy life / look not behind 
thee , neither stay thou in all the plain ; escape to 
the mountain, lest thou be consumed. And Lot 
said unto them, Oh not so, my Lord : behold now, 
thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and 
thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast 
shewed unto me in saving my life ; and I cannot 
escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and 
I die : Behold now, this city is near to fee unto, 
and it is a little one ; Oh let me escape thither, 
( is it not a little one ? ) and my soul shall live. 
And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee 
concerning this thing, that I will not overthrow 
this city, for the which thou hast spoken. 

What an instance is this of the power of 
prayer ! a city, and such a city, saved from de- 
struction, snatched, as it were, from under the 
impending stroke, by no amendment or repent- 
ance of the inhabitants, but by the violence of 
prayer, and against the will, if we might dare 
to say it, of the divine avenger. Haste thee, 
says he, escape thither ; for I cannot do any 
thing, till thou be come thither. The hands, you 
see, of the host of heaven are bound down by 
the predominant authority of a good man's pe- 
titions : 



SERMON IX, 

i, i 

ritions : I cannot do any thing till thou be come 
thither. 

And yet, this very Lot himself, (and wonder 
not; or rather, wonder indeed, as you must, 
when you contemplate those judgements which 
are unsearchable : but let not your astonish- Rom. 

S3 

ment extinguish your religion, but inflame and 
strengthen it : This very Lot himself), so just, 
so righteous, so powerful with God, was yet in- 2 Pet. 
debted for his own life to the intercessions of 7 ' 8 " 
another person. For thus it is written, It ccvme Gen.: 
to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, 
that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out 
of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew 
the cities in the wliich Lot dwelt. 

But the power of prayer and intercession ap- 
pears with still more dignity in the example of 
Moses ; who so often stepped in between the 
people of Israel and their incensed Lord, and 
averted the punishment prepared for their most 
incorrigible obstinacy. The Supreme Being 
sometimes, like one whose power was subject to 
the controul of another, begs, and, I had almost 
said, bribes this holy man not to interpose his 
irresistible intercession, but permit him to take 
vengeance: Let me alone, tliat my wrath may-£ xo ^ } 
wax hot against them, and that I may consume xxxn - 
them : and I will make of thee a great nation. 

And at another time, when this divine wrath 
F4 had 



T2 



SERMON VIII. 



Numb, had broken forth, Moses said. Take a censer, and 

xvi 4*b 

47,' 48.' l n( t fi re therein from off the altar : And Aaron 
took, as Moses commanded, and ran into the 
midst of the congregation ; and behold, tlie plague 
teas begun among the people } and he put on in- 
cense, and made an atonement for tlw people : 
And lie stood between the dead and the living, and 
the plague "was stayed. No studied pomp of de- 
scription ever reached the majesty and terror 
comprised in these few plain words ; Tie stood 
between the dead and the living ; and the plague 
was stayed. 

There is but one Intercessor that can be nam- 
ed after the illustrious example of Moses ; and 
that is he, of whom Moses was the servant and 
the type ; that great High Priest and Sacrifice, 
Heb. viii. who is the mediator of a better covenant ; and 
Keb ix wno ' not Of goats and calves, but by 

12. his own blood, entered at once into the holy place, 
Heb. ix. ] KCV ' in g obtained eternal redemption for us. Once, 
in the end of the world, hath he appeared to put 
Heb. vii. away sin by the sacrifice of himself: yet he ever 
liveth to make intercession. 

Every one of the arguments in support of 
every other intercession is applicable here with 
a force infinitely greater, oo much our own 
little reason may teach us, that his prayer must 
be the most prevalent, who is most exalted in 

dignity 



SERMON VIII. 



dignity and goodness, and dearest to the Father 
of all mercies. 

Bat this intercession is transcendently supe- 
rior to all others, not only in degree ,but in kind; 
(as it must needs appear even to our apprehen- 
sion) being connected with the atonement made 
by this intercessor in his own blood : now, we 
know, tliere is but one such mediator between i Tim. ii. 
God and man, the man Christ Jesus, 5 * 

The redemption of mankind by the incarna- 
tion and death of the Son of God, the sufferings 1 Pet. i. 
and the~glory of Christ, are things which the 11 ' 12 ' 
angels desire to look into ; a mystery which 
men must devoutly contemplate, though they 
cannot comprehend. 

Here, here then must you look, if you would 
behold the efficacy of intercession in its full 
light and glory. Here is an intercession, by the 
virtue of which all other intercessions, all prayers 
and all good works are accepted, and sins for- 
given. 

Look up to the cross ; and there you may 
behold one interposing between a world of 
sinners and the sentence of everlasting condem- 
nation. 

But wherefore art thou red in thine apparel f Isa. lxiii. 
and thy garments like him that ireadeth in the 2 * 
wine-jai ? I have trodden the wine-press alone ; 

the 



SERMON IX. 



Rev, xix. — — the wine-press of the fierceness and math of 
Almighty God. 

See, on him falls all the punishment of the 
Isa.liiio6. innumerable offences of all. All we, like sheep, 
have gone astray ; and the Lord hath laid on him 
the iniquity of us alL He suffers, when we have 
sinned ; and dies, that we may live. 

Bring hither your objections to the divine go- 
vernment, your mighty demonstrations concern- 
ing man's merit, and the utter insignificance of 
every other consideration or offering. Weary 
of disputing, come, lay all your difficulties upon 
this altar ; and they will be consumed at once 
in the flame of Love. 

Consider, not only the measure, or rather the 
Ephes.iii. length and breadth immeasureable, of the lie- 
18, deemer's love to men ; but also the freedom and 
Rom.v. 8. generosity of his affection. It was while we were 
yet sinners, that Christ died for us. We had not 
deserved so much kindness, nor any ; but on 
ver. 10. the contrary, were enemies to him by our evil 
deeds, when he undertook and accomplished, at 
the expence of his own blood, this astonishing 
redemption. 

Nay, even more : — and yet what more can be 
done, or can be imagined than this, to suffer, 
and to die for the love of those that hate us ?— 
He, the Redeemer of men, was not by his na- 
ture liable to this suffering and sorrow. He was 



SERMON IX. 



75 



in glory with the Father, before the world was ; Johnxvii. 
he was with God 9 and was God : but he became johni. i. 
man : he assumed our nature, that he might be 
capable of its calamities \ and took on him a 
body, on purpose to be crucified. He breaks 
through the limits and natural distinction of 
beings, and is driven to the necessity of this 
most astonishing of all miracles, that it might 
be possible to suffer pain, and want, and igno- 
miny ; to be afflicted and scorned ; to undergo 
all the calamities incident to the most unfortu- 
nate of our species, all the exquisite torments 
which the most criminal can incur : and from 
men ; from men, insensible and blind. But he 
pities, and still loves you. Your injustice and 
cruelty make no alteration in his heart : though 
his strength may fail with his wounds, his affec- 
tion is still vigorous : as he hangs bleeding on 
the cross, in agonies beyond utterance, which 
separate his soul from the body, and will deliver 
him soon from all you can do ; hearken ! his 
breath expires in intercessions for you ; Father, Luke 
forgive them ; for they know not what they do. 

And will you do nothing now in return, or in 
acknowledgement at least of so much kindness ? 
—Yes ; what is proper for us to do ? — Live so- 
berly, righteously, and godly in this present world; Titus ii. 
it is the very lesson which, the Apostle tells us, 12 * 
tffc grace of God Which brtngetk salvation teacheth ; ver. II. 

discharge 



SERMON IX. 



discharge your duty to God, your neighbour, 
and yourselves ; and, in general, keep God's 
commandments. — This, indeed, is doing a great 
deal ; and may imply many things, that will be 
laborious and difficult to us. — And should you 
not be willing to submit to labour and difficul- 
ties ; when at the same time that you express 
your gratitude to the Redeemer, you are con- 
curring with him in his designs for your ever- 
lasting salvation ? 

But come ; since you are so much afraid of 
hardships in religion, there is a way, known in- 
deed to few, one secret way of avoiding them. 

How ? and yet be saved ? 

Or else, I am sure, the secret will be worth 
little. But you are too well instructed in sound 
principles of piety, to think there can be any 
safe way of obtaining a share in that happiness 
which the Redeemer has purchased, without 
submitting to the burden of obeying his com- 
mandments. However, you are desirous to 
hear it : in a word, it is Love. Love him ; and 
then your obedience will be no harden to you. 
The commands of Christ must be obeyed : but 
you may be eased of what is troublesome and 
difficult in this obedience, if you can get your 
heart touched with this divine affection. 

Observe what a wonderful effect this senti- 
ment of love is capable of producing in those 

persons, 



SERMON IX. 



persons, whose hearts are tender, and susceptible 
of deep impressions ; how great an alteration it 
makes, not only in the course of their conduct, 
but in their very sensations and judgement. 
They think nothing too much, which they can 
do, or undergo, for the sake of the beloved 
person. They give up their own inclination 
and interest, even with pleasure. The hardest- 
things become easy, the most irksome offices 
delightful, near the object of their affection. 
They are not tired of their assiduities, or greedy 
of any recompense for them : happy, so long 
as they are able to please ; and amply rewarded 
in the very performance, and the kind accept- 
ance of their services. 

How unlike are those who serve for hire ! No 
matter how little they do, provided you will but 
be content with it. There is in their motions 
a sluggishness, a reluctance, that perpetually 
demands the spur. In brief, they are not serv- 
ing you, but themselves : neither side is pleas- 
ed : your business is but ill discharged ; and 
their employment is one continual struggle a- 
gainst difficulties. 

Many excellent things have been spoken, and 
very justly, of many excellent graces and vir- 
tues : but there is none of them to be compared 
with that which is here recommended to you. 
It is the Jirst and great commandment :. it is that Mattfc 



rs 



SERMON IX. 



Matth. on which hang all the Jam and the prophets ; and 
xxii. -±o. t j la ^ fi na Uy ? on w hich above all things your 

own happiness depends, 
Ecclus. There he nine things, which I have judged in 
** v - li mine heart to be happy ; and the tenth I will utter 
with my tongue. A man that hath joy of his chiU 
dren, and he that liveth to see the fall of his ene- 
my ; that dwelleth with a wife of understanding, 
and that hath not slipped with his tongue ; that 
hath not served a man more unworthy than him- 
self; that hath found prudence ; that speaketh in 
the ears cf him that will hear : how great is he 
thatfndeth wisdom ! and none {of these) is above 
him that feareth the Lord ; but the Love of the 
Lord passeth all things ; he that holdeth it, to 
whom shall he be likened P 

To none indeed on earth : but he may be 
likened to those happy spirits above, that en- 
compass the throne of God ; who seeing him as 
lie is, are filled with his love,, and with the light 
of his countenance. And he shall be joined in 
due time to their society ; and with them wor- 
ship, serve, and possess, the supreme object of 
his affections ; the source and author of eveiy 
thing that is fair, and good, and lovely ; and the 
boundless ocean to which it all returns, and in 
which it will be swallowed up, and yet not lost, 
for ever. 



SER- 



SERMON X. 



MATT. vi. 9.— IS. 

AFTER THIS MANNER THEREFORE PRAY YE : OUR FA- 
THER, WHICH ART IN HEAVEN ; HALLOWED BE THY 
NAME ; THY KINGDOM COME ; THY WILL BE DONE 
ON EARTH, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN : GIVE US THIS 
DAY OUR DAILY BREAD J AND FORGIVE US OUR 
DEBTS, AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS \ AND LEAD 
US NOT INTO TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER US 
FROM EVIL : FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM, AND 
THE POWER, AND THE GLORY, FOR EVER, AMEN* 

Of all the applications to the Supreme Being 
which are extant, and are of a general nature, 
not receiving an additional force from the un- 
common or moving circumstances of those who 
made them, this now before us, the prayer of 
our Lord, is undoubtedly the best, being at the 
same time the most rational, and the most de- 
vout. It would have been so esteemed by all 
judges, if the name of its author had been never 

known 



80 



SERMON X. 



known to us : so that, whether we have an eye 
to the preaching, or the prayer of our Re- 

John vii. deemer, the observation is equally just, That 
never man spake like this man. 

Our Lord's prayer, as it is usually observed* 
consists of six petitions : yet of these six, the 
three first can hardly be called by that name ; 
being more properly acts or expressions of ado- 
ration, obedience, submission ; by which we 
render honour to the Divine Being, and give 
up ourselves, along with the whole creation, to 
his government and disposal ; before we pre- 
sume to offer any requests in our own favour, 
even for the supply of our most necessary wants, 
or the forgiveness of our sins. 

There is a propriety in this. The inhabitants 
of heaven, when they worship him that liveth 
for ever and ever, cast their crowns before his 

Rev. v. throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to 
receive glory, and honour, and power ; for thou 
hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they 

ver. 8. are, and were created : they rest not day and 
night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God AU 
mighty. And although, in this present state of 
infirmity and want, it is very allowable for us, 

Phil. iv. and our duty, to let our requests be made known 
unto God, and to join our supplications to our 
thanksgivings ; yet let us take care that they 
be so joined. It will be unbecoming, and argue 

a 



SERMON X. 



81 



a very wrong disposition of mind in us, if we 
never draw near to the throne of grace, but in 
our distress ; and having received so many be- 
nefits, remember nothing in the divine pre- 
sence, but our necessities alone. 

God is the Father of the universe ; all nature 
owes its being and support to him. He bears a 
nearer degree of the same relation to all spiri- 
tual beings, endowed with intelligence, and ca- 
pable of virtue ; who have received a greater 
portion of his kindness and care ; and shew, or 
may do, a stronger resemblance of their Divine 
Parent. Of man in particular it is said, that 
he was created in the image of God, and he is Gen.i.26. 
styled his son. A good man may with still bet- ^ ke m * 
ter hopes make use of this endearing appella- 
tion ; and a good Christian above ail. He is 
horn again, from above, by the operation of the Johriiii.3. 
same Divine Spirit, by which the Eternal Word 
was incarnate, and became the Redeemer of 
men : and he is made an heir of God, and joint- Rom. viii. 
heir with Christ By whom he is taught and 
authorised, as he is prompted by that Spirit, to 
lay claim to the relation, and in his applications 
to the Maker of all things to say : 

Abba, Father; Thou Author, Preserver, Sup- Rom - vi i « 
port, of my being, life, hopes, and happiness ; 
who hast brought me into this world, thy work ; 
and redeemed me by thy only-begotten Son, 

G through 



S2 



SERMON X. 



through thy Holy Spirit, to an eternal inherit 
tance in heaven ; I acknowledge thy authority 
and thy affection, with reverence and gratitude.: 
I own thy paternal power and tenderness, and 
approach thy presence with the sentiments of a 
son ; with fear, and love, and joy. Thus em- 
boldened, I raise my thoughts from earth to 
heaven ; I look up to that celestial seat, where 
thou hast dwelt from eternity, enthroned in 
majesty above all height, and clothed with light 
which no eye can bear to behold. But though 
thy glory is unsearchable, and I cannot see thee 
as thou art \ yet so much, at least, I can dis- 
cern of thee by thy image, expressed in thy 
word, and reflected from thy works ; that thou 
art great, and just, and holy. Thou wilt be 

Lev. x. 3. sanctified in them that come nigh thee. Thou re- 
quirest truth in the hearts of thy worshippers ; 
and that the lips which presume to utter thy 
hallowed name, be free both from impurity and 
fraud. May the number be multiplied without 

Mai. i. 11. measure, of such as present this incense to thy 
name, and a pare offering : and Oh ! that my 
voice also might be heard among those who 
thus adore thee ! But, alas ! we have been ene- 
mies to our God ; rebels to thy rightful sway : 
we have followed the dictates of pride and pas- 
sion ; ^ave been seduced by the Tempter, led 
astray by our own corrupt mind, or by the wiles 

of 



SERMON X. 



of others ; ^and thy world hath laid under the 
power of the evil one : how long, O Lord, Holy Eph. 
and True ? The time will surely come (let it 
come speedily !) when thy just dominion shall 
be universally acknowledged, in every region, 
by every heart ; when thou shalt reign unrival- 
led in all thy works ; and the usurped authority 
of that xlpostate Spirit, which divides and de- 
forms thy kingdom, be utterly destroyed for 
ever. In heaven, thy will is the inviolable law: 
Myriads of ministers encircle thy throne, who 
cease not day and night to celebrate and to 
serve thee, with uninterrupted praises, and un- 
erring obedience. Oh ! that such fidelity were 
found on earth ! that the sons of men did even 
now resemble that celestial society, to which 
they hope hereafter to be united ! were animat- 
ed with the like holy ardent zeal, and could 
give themselves to God with the same entire 
devotion ! We are blind and vain, but thou art 
wise and good. Wise therefore in thy wisdom, 
secure under thy care, great and happy in hu- 
mility and subjection, we have no wishes but in 
thee. Our whole desire and glory is to be, to 
do, to suffer whatever thou art pleased to ap- 
point. During our passage through this perish- 
able state, we trust and know that thou, who 
gavest us life, wilt give us also all such things 
as are necessary for its support : and we ask no 
G 2 more. 



84 SERMON X. 

more. But, Oh ! leave us not destitute of that 
John vi. bread which cometh doxvnfrom heaven. Let our 
32 ' S3 ' souls be nourished by thy word and ordinances ; 
that we may grow in grace, and be made par- 
takers of a life which will never end. Wealth, 
fame, and power, be they freely theirs to whose 
lot they fall : let our riches be reposited in hea- 
ven : the object of our ambition is the light of 
thy countenance, even the approbation and ap- 
plause of God. —What have I said ? Ah me ! 

can I hope to be justified, when I am judged ? 
dare I trust to that fiery trial ? will my life, or 
will my heart, endure the inspection of thy pure 
eye ? But there is mercy with thee. Let me 
appeal from the severity of thy justice, and lay 
hold on this anchor of my hopes. Pity where 
. thou canst not approve, and pardon that which 
must offend. Then shall my life bear testimony 
to my thankful heart ; and that gratitude which 
extends not to thee, shall overflow on men. 
How just is it that I should shew to them that 
mercy which I ask, and want ! I bless thee for 
2 Cor. v. thy goodness, and I feel the constraint of love ; 
14 - and do now, from the bottom of my heart, 
naked before that Presence from which no 
thought is hid, most freely forgive all those, 
who, by word or deed, knowingly or ignorant- 
ly, have offended or have injured me. I relin- 
quish all my claims to vengeance. I bury from 

this 



SERMON X. 



this moment, for ever in oblivion, all offences, 
and the very remembrance of resentment : And 
do most ardently desire, that the sense of thy 
divine and boundless love may kindle in my 
breast a flame of thankfulness to thee, which 
no time can quench ; and an affection to men 
which no provocation, no wrongs can conquer. 
May this principle of love live in my heart, and 
direct and animate my actions ! I am willing it 
should be called forth and cultivated by exer- 
cise and discipline : and whatever trials or suf- 
ferings thy wisdom sees fit for this happy end, 
I cheerfully embrace them, Shew me no hurt- 
ful indulgence. I decline no danger for thy 
glory, for the good of men, for the improvement 
of my virtue. — Yet remember that I am but 
dust. Be thou near me in those perilous mo- 
ments. Let not the storms of trouble and trial 
overwhelm me. Strengthen my failing faith. 
When I sink, stretch forth thy hand. I rely on 
thy providence and grace, that thou wilt deliver 
me from the danger, or support me under it. 
Save me from sifl, from the great enemy of 
souls, and from eternal misery. 

These, Lord, are the requests which my heart 
pours out unto thee. But thou seest the wants 
which it doth not know, thou nearest the de- 
sires it cannot utter. Give us what is good 3 
G 3 though 



SERMON X, 



though we ask it not: and mercifully deny, 
when w r e pray for evil. 

My soul falls down with the lowest reverence 
before thy throne, adding its little homage to 
the profound adoration and triumphant halle- 
luiahs of the whole host of Heaven, and all thy 
saints on earth : power and honour be to thee, 
dominion and glory, infinite and everlasting, 
my Lord, my Father, and my God. 



SERMONS 



ON THE 



ARTICLES OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH 5 



SERMON I 



HEBR. ii. 6. 

HE THAT COMETH TO GOD MUST BELIEVE THAI 
HE IS. 

Religion consists in a proper disposition of 
mind, and due demeanour towards the Supreme 
Being. It implies therefore the belief of his 
existence ; and will be liable to many irregulari- 
ties and much danger, if that belief be not well 
fixed, and supported by solid arguments. Men 
may indeed be persuaded on slender grounds ; 
and such persuasions maybe sufficient sometimes 
to produce suitable dispositions and actions : but 
persuasions, not rooted in truth, are more liable 
either to be torn up by the blast of a violent 
temptation, or consumed by the tooth of time. 

But it is our own fault, if our faith be expos- 
ed to this danger. God hath not left himself with* Acts xiv. 
qut witness : and the grounds on which we be- 
lieve his being, as they are most unquestionable, 
so they are easy to be known, Great reason, 

no 



so 



SERMON I. 



no doubt, there is, to acknowledge our igno- 
rance, and the wisest persons have always been 
the most sensible of it ; yet, amidst all that 
cloud of darkness w T ith which the human mind 
Acts svii. is overspread, we may still feel after, and fnd, 
3 * the first cause of our own and of all existence, 
who is not far from every one of us ; for in him 
xve live, and move, and have our being. 

Observe first the universality of this belief, 
with regard both to time and place ; no nation 
having been known so barbarous, nor age so 
ignorant, nor period so remote, in which traces 
of this persuasion are not discernible. 

The notions must be natural, in which all 
concur. Or if we are wrong in ascribing the 
formation and government of all things to a di- 
vine power; it is an honour even to err, in 
company with the wise and virtuous of every 
nation and age. 

But prudence as well as modesty should teach 
us deference to such authority, and distrust of 
our own opinions, when we find them so suspi- 
ciously peculiar. A wise person chooses to fol- 
Exod. low the multitude, when it is not to do evil ; and 
sxm. 2. w -|| g £ a y j ie j ias d emons tration on his side, 

before he stands single in such a cause against 
the whole world. 

But the demonstration, as profound inquirers 
have pronounced, is on the same side with au- 
thority. 



SERMON I. 



92 



thority. And even if we should not be able to 
discern the force of their conclusions ; yet, be- 
sides the former argument from universal con- 
sent, the very testimony of these persons is 
something : nay, it is considerable, except we 
can go so far beyond them in these researches, 
as to detect the fallacies that have misled them, 
For if we only do not comprehend the inference, 
there still remains ground to think, that they 
may discern it, who say they do ; and who have 
given us on other occasions good reason to ac- 
knowledge their abilities and sincerity. 

The ideas of space and time force themselves 
upon us, whether we will or no ; so that we 
cannot, even in imagination, suppose them 
either not to be, or to be limited. We know in- 
tuitively that they exist, and are without bounds. 
Infinity and eternity cannot otherwise be, than 
by being the properties of something eternal 
and infinite : therefore there is such a being. 

If you see the force of this argument, your 
faith is, so far, changed into knowledge. If not, 
there is no need you should pretend to do it. 
Will you talk deceitfully for* God ? Will you aC- Job xiif, 

7 8 

cept his person ? Attend to other proofs, level ,s 
to every capacity. 

The being of the Creator is seen in his works* 
and these either miraculous or common. The 
order of nature, and every interruption of that 

order, 



92 



SERMON I. 



Fs.xix. l. order, speak the same language, and declare the 
glory of God. Nor is there any thing in this 
way of reasoning either deceitful or obscure. 
A prophet tells you, suppose, as the Psalmist 

Ps. xcvi. doth, that it is the Lord who made the heavens ; 

5 6 

glory and worshij) are before him, power and 
honour are in his sanctuary. You answer with 

2 Pet. Hi. the scoffers mentioned by the Apostle, All things 
continue as they were from the beginning. Could 
he speak with the same effect, as did the leader 

Josh, x, of the Jews, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon ; 
and thou moon, in the valley of Aijalon ; when 
the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hast- 
ed not to go down about a whole day ; would he 
take for granted the existence of a superior 
power, ox prove it ? 

i Kings x. In what way did Elijah reason, when he put 
the wood in order, and cut the bidlock in pieces, 
and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour 
it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood ? The 
people who were present when the fire of the 
Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and 
the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked 
up the water that was in the trench, they found 
no defect in his argument ; they fell on their 
faces and said, The Lord, he is the God ; the 
Lord, he is the God. 

But without the help of revelation, or even 
of history $ the contemplation of the works of 

nature, 



SERMON L 



nature, as we call them ; the order, proportion, 
and use, of the several parts of the visible world ; 
the undeniable marks of design, and numberless 
instances of art inimitable, which appear evi- 
dently before us, in every region where, we cast 
our eye, the heavens, the earth, the sea, the air; 
in the material, vegetable, animal world ; in the 
body and in the mind of man ; all these consti- 
tute a proof as convincing as a thousand de- 
monstrations, that the author of them all is a 
Being endued with a vast extent of power and 
understanding, and with benevolence. 

And if this disposition be the sum or source of 
all moral goodness ; if the other virtues derive 
their quality of good from their inherent ten- 
dency to promote happiness ; or if they do but 
in effect promote it ; then the same arguments 
which establish this principle in the Supreme 
Being, will be a proof also of his other moral 
attributes. 

But waving this argument, the constitution 
of the world itself affords distinct traces of Jus- 
tice and Mercy, as well as Goodness, in its Au- 
thor. 

Though we dare not say that Justice is dis- 
tributed perfectly ; yet it is equally remote 
from truth to assert that the vicious, in the com- 
mon course of things, are as successful and 
happy as the good and virtuous. The frame of 

the 



SERMON I. 



the world we live in is favourable to virtue, which 
is an argument of the Justice of its Author. 

His Mercy appears in the provision he has 
made for the recovery of persons who have in- 
volved themselves in calamities by their vices ; 
his Patience in the delay which is observeable 
between the crime and the natural punishment 
of it, together with the intervening opportuni- 
ties of escaping. 

All these arguments, however, are both liable 
to cavils, and also do only indicate these seve- 
ral dispositions in the Divine Being in an imper- 
fect degree. 

But we have, I think, a proof of the moral 
attributes of the Deity, every one of us within 
his own breast. We are assured by an inward 
consciousness , clear and certain, which needs no 
explanation, and leaves no room for doubt, that 
a regard to justice, truth, and goodness, is more 
excellent than the violation of them. These 
perceptions carry their own authority with them. 
Their command is a reason, a Law i > which no 
person without self-condemnation transgresses. 
And this law is obeyed, bad as the world is, of- 
ten, though not so often as it ought ; and w 7 ould 
ever be obeyed by every person, were it not for 
the calls of appetite, and the tumult of passion. 
The mind of Man, alas ! is often borne away 
by these against his better judgement, or is agi- 
tated 



SERMON I. 



93 



tated perhaps alternately by a contrary Impulse, 
and fluctuates between desire and duty. 

But the Divine Mind, being liable to no such 
commotions, must ever be directed by unerring 
wisdom. There is no room for a civil war in 
the breast of the Omnipotent. He has no wants 
to supply, nor foes to fear ; no appetites to im- 
portune, nor passions to pervert him. Rectitude 
therefore must be his rule. While his infinite 
government steers its course along the tide of 
eternity, sure and steady will be the regard to 
this immutable point, in the clear calm region 
of the divine bosom, which no clouds of igno- 
rance can darken, nor storms of temptation dis- 
compose. 

In this persuasion therefore we rest, There is 
an eternal, infinite Being ; — who, himself owing 
his existence to no other, is the cause from 
which all things have had their beginning. He 
made the world ; and it is under laws of his ap- 
pointment, and subject to the government of 
his will. He has all power, and wisdom : and 
these attributes have been amply exerted in acts 
of goodness. He is the Father of the universe* 
The methods indeed of his providence are to us 
often incomprehensible : yet have we sufficient 
reason to believe that he guides himself by the 
rule of right ; So that, when we conform to the 

same 



96 



SERMON I. 



same rule, we comply with his will, and concur 
with him in his designs. 

Consider now what encouragement this is to 
the practice of virtue. When you are doing 
good, you are doing what God doth, and what 
he wishes you to do, You are employed in the 
very same work w r ith your Creator, and assist- 
ing him to accomplish his divine undertakings. 
You are advancing the end for w r hich the earth 
itself w T as created ; and according to your mea- 
sure, may say, with the Redeemer himself, My 
John y. Father xvorketh hitherto, and I ivorh. 

Or if, in contemplating that principal part of 
the Creator's work exposed to your inspection, 
the nature and state of man, vou discern that 
it was not the indiscriminate communication of 
good that was intended by him who made us, 
but the welfare especially of the good and vir- 
tuous, of the discreet, the diligent, the tempe« 
rate, and the just ; then let this, in like man- 
ner, be your object. Do you good especially 
to the well-deserving ; relieve the necessitous, 
but those most who are sober and industrious, 
kom. xii. He that giveth, lei him do it with simplicity in- 
8 ' deed, but with prudence ; he that sliewe tinner cy, 

with cheerfidness, and yet with discernment. 
Ps. cxiv. The Lord is loving unto every man ;■ — but they 
• l .. that deal trxihi are his delight. He maketh his 

i^rov. xn. kJ y 

22 sun to rise on the evil and on the good ; but the 

eyes 



SERMON L 



97 



eyes of the Lord are oner the righteous, and he Matth. v. 

delivereth the souls of 'his servants. Draw as near f 5 * ... 

*; m 1 Pet. in. 

as you can to the divine pattern, and be perfect, 12. 
even as y our Father which is in heaven is perfect ^ ' x ^ vr ' 
Or lastly, if you have been able to penetrate Matth. v. 
so far into the divine counsels, as to discover 4S * 
that it is not the happiness even of good men, 
that is intended in this world, but only their 
support in it, and their improvement in piety 
and virtue while they are passing through it to 
a better ; let it be your care to advance this 
step also in your imitation of God, and pursue 
the intentions of him who made you to the ut- 
most. 

Do good to all, especially to them who are of G a i. vi 
the household of faith ; and among these most of 10 - 
all to the best ; and do to them and all others 
the best service, by promoting above all things 
their future welfare. This all persons, even the 
poorest, may do by a pious example ; others 
by that and many other ways, which will rea» 
dily occur to such as have a heart disposed to 
iind them. 

Thus may your mite, proportioned to join 
ability, and coming from a good heart, be to 
you as if you had fed the hungry, clothed the 
naked, visited the sick and imprisoned ; as if 
you had been a guide of the blind, an instructor Rom. ii. 
of the foolish ; a preacher and an Apostle, f °j- m 

H Though 7.: 



98 



SERMON L 



1 Tim.vi. Though poor, thus rich in good works ; however 
2Tim.iii. ignorant, wise unto salvation; you shall shine as 

the brightness of the firmament, and, turning 
Dan.xii. . - 

many to righteousness, as me stars for ever and 
ever. 



SER- 



SERMON II. 



JOHN xiv. l. 

YE BELIEVE IN GOD ; BELIEVE ALSO IN* ME. 

Amidst innumerable and undeniable marks 
of divine wisdom and goodness, we find in the 
world, confusion, sin, and misery. Revelation 
informs us that it was not created in this disor- 
dered state ; that a great change has taken 
place in it, occasioned by the fault of a human 
pair, its first inhabitants ; by which means their 
posterity are fallen into a worse condition than 
had been originally prepared for them by their 
gracious Creator. Death, which God made not, Wisd. of 
took possession of the world, and guilt and pain So1 ' *' ls ' 
have a large dominion in it ; and might have 
stretched their empire to a dreadful extent, had 
not a person of divine nature and attributes, 
united, in a manner incomprehensible, with the 
Supreme Father of all things, been pleased, by 
the Father's appointment, and out of his own in- 
conceivable goodness, to interpose in our behalf. 

H 2 He 



100 



SERMON II. 



He came down from heaven : and still con- 
tinuing to be one with the Supreme Nature, he 
assumed ours. He became man : he lived upon 
earth, did good, endured pain, preached piety 
and righteousness, worked wonders, suffered 
death as a malefactor, restored himself to life, 
returned to heaven, and now governs his church 
by the operation of yet another divine person^ 
who with him and the Father, is one God, bless- 
ed for ever. 

All this, you seem to say, is strange and won- 
derful. It is so. The divine existence, eter- 
nity, infinity, which yet reason obliges us to 
acknowledge, is very wonderful. The divine 
government of the world, which w r e experience, 
is in many instances exceedingly astonishing. 
The world is filled with wonders ; and if you 
attempt ignorantly to remove them, they become 
greater. If you deny what is strange, you must 
admit what is impossible. 

It is strange, perhaps you think, that our first 
parents should commit sin. This part of the" 
wonder, that any of our kindred should do what 
was not right, we must not insist on. 

It is strange that they were not immediately 
punished with death. — How ! shall we make it 
a wonder that God is merciful ? it must be a 
wonder then that we are living. 

It 



SERMON II. 



It is, however, very strange, you are pretty 
sure, and hardly right, you humbly think, that 
their posterity should be involved in their guilt, 
and made to suffer for an offence that was not 
their own. 

Now, first of all, is it not surprising that this 
should appear so strange to us who have lived 
all our lives in a world in which the same thing 
has happened every day ? Is any thing more 
common than to see men suffering the most 
grievous calamities, through the fault or only 
the folly of other persons ? 

But this is natural, — And who made it to be 
natural ? Did not he who made the world ? 

A great change took place at the fall : do you 
know the particular manner in which it was ef- 
fected ? Can you say how far that was, or was 
not natural ? 

But, what think you of the remedy provided 
for this calamity, the redemption of man in Je- 
sus Christ ? of the state of happiness offered him 
in heaven, instead of his earthly paradise ? Is 
not the severity of your complaint softened by 
these considerations ? 

But, waving these answers, let us, for a mo- 
ment, suppose that these things are indeed so 
strange as to be incredible ; that the fall and 
the redemption of man is all a fiction 5 and the 
II 3 world 



102 



SERMON IL 



world in as good a condition .as it was at first, 
or was ever meant to be. 

The wickedness and the misery that are in the 
world still remain in it, after all our suppositions : 
these are matters of fact, alas ! and must be ac- 
knowledged by us all, whatever opinion we en- 
tertain concerning the cause of them, The state 
of man, whether a fallen state or no, is what it is. 

I John v. Evidently the "world lietk, in a very great degree, 
in wickedness ; the life of men, of all men, is 
full of trouble ; of many, is so distressful that it 
affects us with horror, till death, very soon, the 
sooner often the better, puts an end to it. Man 
appears upon the sea of life, struggles with 
waves and storms for a few moments, and sinks 
again into the abyss for ever. 

And is this your vindication of God's love and 
goodness? this the best defence you can de- 

Ps. cxlv. vise, of those tender mercies which are over all his 

9> works ? 

It would be severe in him, you think, to de- 
grade us to such a sad state as this for the of- 
fence of our first parents : but you can allow 
him to place us in it, without any inducement. 
Are our calamities lessened for not being as- 
cribed to Adam ? If our condition be unhappy, 
is it not still unhappy, whatever was the occa- 
sion [? with the aggravation of this reflection, 

that 



SERMON IL 



that if it is* as good as was at first designed, 
there seems to be somewhat the less reason to 
look for its amendment. 

Or will you say, that the Supreme Being was 
not able to accommodate us in abetter manner? 
or that he was not desirous of doing it ? that he 
is wholly unconcerned about us ? or that he 
never made the world at all ? and that we came 
into it of ourselves, or by the help of fate or for- 
tune ? 

Which now of these truly strange supposi- 
tions shall we please to adopt ? choosing what is 
absurd, to avoid what is wonderful ; and driven, 
by the fear of little difficulties, into great con- 
tradictions. 

Indeed these and all other objections against 
the articles of revealed religion generally admit 
one short answer from the consideration of our 
own ignorance. We are not willing to acqui- 
esce in that superficial information which is im- 
parted to us, but are desirous to see to the bot- 
tom of every thing ; and complain, or dispute, 
when we are disappointed : not considering that 
we know the whole of nothing ; and that no 
system of religion, or of irreligion, will ever 
place us above these difficulties. 

Whatever Almighty God is pleased to teach 9 
or to command, by the voice of nature, or of 
revelation, it is plainly and equally our duty to 
H 4 believe 



SERMON It 



believe and do: it is of no consequence winch 
way he conveys this knowledge to us. He hatli 
created us by his power ; he hath redeemed us 
by his mercy, through the mediation of his 
Son : if there is any person to whom neither of 
these truths is made known, he is innocent of 
all guilt in the ignorance or disbelief of both \ 
and if they are both so offered to us, that but 
for some criminal obstruction in ourselves, we 
should admit them ; it is dangerous, and may 
be fatal, to deny either. 

There is, I fear, yet one more circumstance, 
in which the Christian revelation and the reli- 
gion of nature bear to each other, unhappily, 
but too near a resemblance ; and that is in their 
success ; or more properly, in the want of it : 
they produce, neither of them, in any due de- 
gree, the effect they ought, the reformation of 
the world. 

You admit, let us suppose, the religion of na- 
ture : so far you are certainly in the right. You 
allow that there is a God who made the world, 
and all things in it : therefore they are his : No 
doubt. He is your Father, Friend, and Lord ; 
his relation to you is prior and superior to every 
other : his will is your support, and life, and 
law. This you freely own. 

Yes, in words you own it. But is the sense of 
it impressed on your heart ? are your actions go- 
verned 



SERMON II. 



verned by it ? It is easy to say, in your dis- 
course, or prayers, that Almighty God is the 
greatest and best of beings, and to ascribe to 
him the power*, the kingdom, and the glory : but 
doth he really rule in your breast, and in your 
life ? Do you worship him devoutly and con- 
stantly ? do you honour and love him, with all 
your mind and strength, so that no other person 
or thing, not even your own desires, come in 
competition with him ? Are you thankful for 
what he gives, content when he denies, resign- 
ed when he takes away, patient when he afflicts, 
humble when he advances you, and when he 
depresses, neither petulant nor yet dejected ? If 
you honour and love God above all things, you 
will do whatever you think will please, and no- 
thing that you know offends him. And thus 
will be introduced into your life the whole train 
of virtues, whatever is good and acceptable in the l Tim. Ik 
sight of God. 3t 

Not that we Christians have any reason for 
boasting, but much for sorrow, and for amend- 
ment. Your condemnation is not our acquittah 
We are bound to every one of the same things, 
and more; by all the same reasons, and by 
others ; so that, when we do amiss, we are even 
more culpable. 

We believe, with you, that God made, and 
we believe also that he redeemed us ? and this 



10S SERMON If. 

by the death of his only-begotten Son ; that he 
loved us, corrupted and lost as we were, yet 
that he still loved us to such a degree, as to de- 

Matt. iii. liver up out of his bosom him in whom he was 
always well pleased, to be a man, and a sacrifice,, 
that we might be forgiven for his sufferings, and 
received into heaven with him, through his me- 
rits and intercession. 

But, have we a just sense of this redemption? 
Are our actions governed by the sense of it ? 
Ask us, in your turn, every one of the same ques- 

Job ix, s. tions : can we answer one of a thousand ? Where 
are all the graces and virtues suitable to our 
holy faith, and bound upon us by so many obli- 
gations ? Do our actions, any more than yours, 
correspond to our principles ? Are we better 
than other persons whose belief is different ? 

Gal.ii.gp. Th e life which we now live in tlie flesh, as the 
Apostle speaks, do we live by the faith of the Son 
of God, who loved us, and gave himself for us ? 

We stand disputing and quarrelling about the 
religion of nature and revelation, but regard 
neither much further than the mere profession : 
Zealots for a system, which has no effect on our 
heart and life ; contending each with eagerness 
for the articles of his faith ; agreeing, on both 
?ides, to forget the duties of it. 

Alas ! the very reverse of this is the method 
•%!iich reason and Christianity alike prescribe^ 



SERMON IL 



107 



to live every one of us according to the rules 
of that religion which we believe and profess, 
and recommend it to others by all fair argu- 
ments, and by an upright example ; but by no 
other motives. I conclude with that short pre- 
cept of the Apostle : Follow peace with all men, Heb. xil. 
and holiness^ without which no man shall see the 14 - 
Lord. 



§ E. R* 



f 

1 



SERMON III 



LUKE i. 34. 

THEN SAID MARY UNTO THE ANGEL, HOW SHALL 
THIS BE, SEEING I KNOW NOT A MAN ? 

E miracles attending the revelation of 
Christianity may be considered as divided into 
two classes, and called the public miracles, and 
the private* 

Of the former sort were the many cures per- 
formed by our Lord and his Apostles ; the dark- 
ness at his crucifixion, his ascension into hea- 
ven, in the presence of many spectators ; pro- 
phecies of future events, taken together with 
their accomplishment \ the very propagation of 
the Christian religion in the world j and above 
all ^ that capital miracle, the best attested, and 
yet most amazing, the principal pillar on which 
the fabric of Christianity rests,— the resurrec- 
tion of the Lord Jesus from the dead. 

Among the second sort, the private miracles, 

may 



SERMON III. 

may be reckoned the appearance of an angel in 
a dream to the husband of the Virgin Mary 5 
more than once ; the vision of Zacharias in the 
temple ; the divine glory seen by St Stephen at 
the time of his martyrdom ; and any other su- 
pernatural events, of which there was no testi- 
mony, but that of the single person on whom 
the miracle was wrought, or before whom it 
was exhibited ; and among these, especially 
that great miracle of the incarnation of our Sa- 
viour Christ, without any human father, by the 
operation of the Holy Ghost. 

Now, the proper external proof of the Chris- 
tian religion, are the public miracles. Nay, 
they are the proof even of the private miracles ; 
which are so far from yielding any help to the 
other parts of revealed religion, that they can- 
not expect to gain admittance for themselves, 
but must be content to attend upon the miracles 
which were public. And when these are esta- 
blished, miraculous facts of which we have no 
witness, and revealed doctrines of which we 
have no natural proof, may be ranked together; 
and will be both equally supported by the testi- 
mony of Scripture, which rests on the miracles 
that were wrought openly for the proof of it. 

There does not appear to be any thing incre- 
dible in this doctrine of the miraculous incarna. 
lion of Jesus Christ, to those who admit any 

miracles 



SERMON IIL 



III 



miracles at all. That a child should come into 
the world without a father, is not harder to ac- 
count for, than that a dead body should come 
to life, or a living man walk upon the water, or 
distempers be cured by the speaking of a word. 
None of these things are natural ; but they are 
all equally, as far as we can see, in the power 
of God. 

Except we believe the world to have existed 
from eternity, and the race of mankind to have 
been continued down to this day by an infinite 
succession, without any beginning at all ; we 
must be obliged to acknowledge that at least 
two human persons were once brought into be- 
ing, in some way different from that which' is 
now the established course of nature. All per- 
sons cannot have been born as men are now. 
The Redeemer of mankind, therefore, was not 
the only person who had not two human pa- 
rents. What was once, might be again; or 
something equally different from that which is 
now the object of experience. 

It is not expected that this miraculous con- 
ception of our Lord should gain credit from the 
testimony of the mother, or from the relation 
of an historian. It is to the public, undoubted, 
innumerable miracles of the Redeemer's life, 
and to his well-attested resurrection from the 
dead, that we appeal for the support of the mi- 

racle 



IIS [SERMON IIL 

John x. racle of his incarnation and birth. If he did 
not the works of his Father, believe him not. 

But the creation of a human pair, at the be= 
ginning of the world, it may be said, was plain- 
ly necessary, and is therefore easily believed ; 
but the birth of an infant without an earthly 
father is the less credible, because we see no 
reason for it. 

Is- this a proof that there was none ? Has the 
Supreme Mind no reasons but what we are ac- 
quainted with ? Does the Divine, Wisdom take 
us for counsellors ? 

A holy and good God, as we should think, 
would create men in a state of virtue and hap- 
piness. But mankind, we see, and feel, alas ! 
are in a state of sin and misery. How comes 
this event to pass ? Will any reason that you are 
master of explain it to us ? 

We know, indeed, how it happened from 
Scripture. It was owing to the fall But the 
Scripture informs us also of the incarnation, and 
tells us that the fall of man was the reason of 
it. Can you shew that it was not a good rea- 
son ? Are you sure you could have redeemed 
the world better ? or at all otherwise ? It is 
John iii. written, Except a man be born again, he cannot 
& see the kingdom of God : and it may be, for any 

thing you know to the contrary, that men could 
no more be regenerated without this miracle of 

the 



SERMON III. 



I 



the incarnation, than they could ever have been 
born without the other, of the creation. 

Or, if you refuse the name of miracle to the 
first creation of man, because a miracle has re- 
lation to a course of nature supposed to be al- 
ready established, it will make no material dif- 
ference. The thing will not be changed by the 
alteration of the name. There is no reason to 
think that the creation of man required any less 
degree of power for being new ; or that the mi- 
raculous conception, by being contrary to an 
established course, was therefore either impos- 
sible, or in any degree less necessary. 

But when we say that Jesus, our Redeemer, 
was born of a virgin, who was found with child Matth. 

18 

of the Holy Ghost ; we mean something more 
than that his birth was miraculous, and brought 
to pass by the extraordinary power of God. 
We intend to declare, that he was truly the Son 
of God. 

The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the Luke i. 

35 

power of the Highest shall overshadow thee : 
therefore also that holy thing which shall be born 
of thee shall be called, that is, shall be, the Son 
of God. The glorious truth which is covered 
under this veil of words is not, it must be ac- 
knowledged, clearly understood by us, yet are 
they not mere empty sounds, wholly without 
mmmng. The very vilest weed on the sea 

I shore 



114? 



SERMON III. 



shore is the effect of God's power, and indeed 
a display of his wisdom. Men are of a nobler 
nature; still, they are also the work of God's 
hand ; and bearing a nearer resemblance to his 
perfections, and enjoying a greater portion of 
his care, they have been styled his children. 
Spirits, superior to man, may also have been 
called the sons of God, or even his first-born, 
for the same reasons, and because they were in 
being before us. Language is imperfect, and 
metaphors must be much used. Angels, or cer- 
tain men, may have been called even Gods, on 
account of their great authority and power. 
But still, so much we think we discern of this 
sublime subject, that Jesus is the Son of God, 
in a sense different from all these 5 derived from 
the Supreme Father, in a superior and more 
immediate manner ; and not only among many 

Kom.viii. brethren the Jirst-born, but among them all, the 

John i. only-begotten. 

14>. & al. The Redeemer of mankind was, and is, Man 
as well as God. The divine nature was united 
w T ith the human in Jesus Christ. The subject 
here too is, no doubt, in a vast degree, incom- 
prehensible. Language is greatly liable to ab- 
use, and when not abused, it is both imper- 
fect, and apt to be mistaken. Yet the doctrine 
thus delivered is not merely nothing. 

God is infinite : he is every where present. 

We 



SERMON III. 



115 



We live and move, not only by his favour, but 

in him ; so do all other beings. If I climb up Acts xvii. 

into heaven* thou art there ; if I go doxvn to hell, * 8, 

7 7 - / ° 3 rs.cxxxix 

thou art there also. He upholds, penetrates, 7. 
pervades, actuates all things. The most rapid 
cherubims move by his force ; the very clods of 
the field cleave together by his perpetual, and, 
if one may so speak, personal operation. At 
least, the deepest philosophers have had re- 
course to this expedient ; and, after the most 
wearisome researches, like the dove sent out 
from the ark, have found no other place where 
to fix their foot, but that whence they set out ; 
no solution, but in the divine presence, of the 
most trivial, as well as extraordinary appear- 
ances. 

Yet, though we pretend not to comprehend 
either, so far we make bold to pronounce, this 
was not the presence of the Supreme Father 
with his only-begotten Son ; nor this the union 
of God with the man Christ Jesus. Stocks and 
stones are not God ; even angels, 'which are 2 Pet. ii. 
greater in power and might, refuse to be wor- ^ v .. 
shipped. But the Redeemer, though made of 8, 9. 
a woman, and in all things like unto his brethren, HebTi ^ 
is the proper object of our faith, and hope, and *7- 
Jove, and every other religious affection and 15. S m " 
action : as the Scripture teaches in many places, 1 Cor - x ^ 
We praise him, we pray to him, We believe in sCor.xr. 

I 2 God. x * 



116 



SERMON 1IL 



Matth. God. We believe also in him ; and honour the 

Rey 111 ^' ^ 0n eVen aS We h° nour the Father : although we 
13. xi. 15. know, that there is one God, and there is none 
Acts vu. fj ier fat j ie . anc j tfi&t he will not give his glory 
John xiv. to another. 

John v. N° r * s ^ ais hypostatical union, because it is 
incomprehensible, therefore incredible also 

Markxii. ^ . , , , . , 

32. isor indeed does it appear to be at all more 
Isa. xl. 8. incomprehensible than the union of our own 
soul and body, the conjunction of matter and 
spirit. Which yet philosophy alone, without 
revelation, has taught men to acknowledge : 
though these substances are, to our thinking, as 
incongruous as any ; nor have we the least con- 
ception how they can be capable of intercourse* 
or any mutual operation. 

That matter itself should ever begin to be, or 
even but begin to move, is as unintelligible as 
any article of faith, before it is depraved by 
our explanations. Yet experience assures us of 
the beginning of motion, though it has been 
disputed : what has not ? And philosophy tells 
us that the soul of man is immaterial. We 
yield our assent to these teachers, though the 
points have often been controverted, and can 
never be comprehended. What is the reason 
that the difficulties which we so readily pass 
over in these cases, should be so insuperable in 
the other ? Articles of faith are established, we 

may 



SERMON III. 



117 



may be bold to assert, upon as good grounds as 
systems of physics : as much regard is due to 
doctrines of religion, at least, as to those of any 
sect of philosophers. 

Yes \ but this regard cannot always be paid 
at so easy a rate. The head would often be 
convinced, but the heart remonstrates ; the un- 
derstanding might bend, but the will is stub- 
born. We might perhaps yield our assent to 
religion, but it demands obedience ; and re- 
quires not only belief, but practice. Every one 
of its doctrines is to be fruitful in grace and 
good works ; and however ignorant we may be 
of the manner* or reasons, we are to be well 
acquainted with the use. 

The Word was incarnate \ he left the glory 
* which he had with the Father before the world johnxviL 
was, and entered into this house of clay : he 5 * 
took upon him willingly the infirmities of the 
human nature : God was made man for the sal- 
vation of sinners. 

Could he not have saved them with less trou- 
ble ? We say nothing. How was it possible for 
him to assume their nature ? Silence suits with 
ignorance. What should make him willing to 
do it ? Here indeed we are able to answer : it 
was because he loved them. And one thing 
more we can comprehend, that they ought also 
to love him 5 be devoutly thankful for his in- 
1 3 comprehensible 



118 



SERMON III. 



comprehensible mercy ; and if there is any 
thing in their power which may contribute to 
the success of this gracious undertaking, to 
do it. 

There may be many obscurities attending the 
doctrine ; there is none at all in this conse- 
quence, that they who are thus redeemed are 

i Cor. vi. tio longer their own. They are bought with a 
price, and ought therefore to glorify God in their 
body, and in their spirit, which are God's. Now 
doubly his : since he who made, has again pur- 
chased them to himself ; and, as far as we can 
judge, at a much greater price. 

The incarnation of the Son of God, however 
incomprehensible, is the plainest as well as the 
strongest reason that ever was, or can possibly 
be offered, for gratitude towards the Supreme 
Father, w 7 ho gave his dearly beloved and only- 
begotten Son, for our redemption ; and towards 
that Divine Son, who loved us, and gave him- 

Rom. viii. self for us : for trust in God, who having de- 
livered up for us his Son, cannot but with him 
also freely give us all things : for humility and 
condescension to our inferiors, in obedience to 
the particular command, in imitation of the 
wondrous example of him, who being possess- 

Heb. i. 2. ed of divine greatness, the Maker and Heir of 

s n ' 11,13 all things, yet made himself of no reputation, 
took upon him the form of a servant ; was made 

in 



S E R M O N III. 



in the likeness of mien ; and being found in fashion 
as a man, he humbled himself and became obe- 
dient. 

This doctrine of Christianity is a recommen* 
elation of purity, directing us to reverence that 
human body which he honoured by being bom 
of a virgin ; and may reasonably induce us to 
have a very high regard, but free from super- 
stition and idolatry, to her who was so signally 
favoured as to be made the parent of the Son 
of God. 

Lastly, the incarnation of Christ is an argu- 
ment for universal obedience, and the practice 
of all virtues : since this was the end of his 
coming into the world, to purify to himself 'a pe- Tit.ii.i4-. 
culiar people, zealous of good works : and since, 
without this, we shall not only frustrate the 
grace of God, but render the greatest blessing 
that ever was conferred on mankind, a calami- 
ty to us. Every mercy which we abuse, we 
convert into a curse. This is the condemnation, j hn ill. 
it is an aggravation of our guilt, and will add ^p: . 
to our punishment, that light is come into the «. 
World, and men loved darkness. If ye were blind, 
ye should have no sin : but now ye say, We see ; 
since, as you acknowledge, you know better, 
or at least have the means of information ; 
therefore your sin remaineth. The more gracious 
.lie divine offers, the more criminal must it be 

I 4? either 



120 



SERMON III. 



either scornfully to reject, or wickedly to per- 
Heb: x. vert them* He that despised Moses 9 law, died 
28, 29. without mercy : of how much sorer punishment 

shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under 

foot the Son of God? 



SER« 



SERMON IV- 



i COR. i. is, 

THE PREACHING OF THE CROSS IS TO THEM THAT 
PERISH, FOOLISHNESS ; BUT UNTO US WHICH 
ARE SAVED, IT IS THE POWER OF GOD. 

There is nothing, how well and wisely so- 
ever it is ordered, by man, or God f but excep- 
tions may be taken against it, by the ignorant 
or ill disposed ; and that very circumstance be 
made the matter of complaint, which ought to be 
most of all the subject of applause and admira- 
tion. The cross of Christ has been long a rock 
of offence in the way of unbelievers ; to the Jews Rom. ix 
a stumbling-block , to the Greeks foolishness. A \°'q ot g 
Saviour of the world who could not save him- 23 _ 
self! A divine person relinquishing the glories 
of his own nature for the miseries of mortal life, 
and the torment of crucifixion ! If the Son of 
God had appeared with a splendour answerable 
to such a character ; if he had descended visi- 
bly from heaven in a chariot of fire, and with* 

legion- 



122 



SERMON IV. 



legions of angels, to take vengeance on his ene- 
mies, and put his followers in possession cf 
riches, glory, power, prosperity, and pleasure - 7 
such proposals as these would have engaged at- 
tention, all nations had been soon made prose- 
lytes ; and nothing seen or heard on earth, but 
the most cheerful submission, and sincere 
thanksgivings. 

This is the wisdom of man ! Such a Saviour, 
and such salvation, would, no doubt, in our idea, 
have been the most proper* Alas ! there is no 
end of our folly, when we pursue the savings of 
imagination ; and listen to the vanity of our 
wishes, instead of the voice of reason, and the 
sober counsels of experience. 

Shall we conclude, then, upon the strength of 
such a wise harangue, that Jesus could not come 
from God, since he neither brought these bene- 
fits, of which we are so greatly desirous, along 
with him ; nor delivered us from sickness, sor- 
row, and death, and a great number of other 
evils, which are so grievous to us ? 

But if Almighty God hath not redeemed the 
world : I presume he made it. And hath he 
made it to be a state of such felicity as you re- 
quire ? or exempted it from the afflictions to 
which you object ? The world itself, it seems, 
came from God, though it contains all these bad 

things : 



SERMON IV. 

things i and why might not the gospel, though 
it does not remove them ? 

Will you say, that the world, as it came out 
of the hand of God at first, was better than it 
is at present ; and that these evils were intro- 
duced into it, on account of the fall of our first 
parents ? 

What you say is true : but where, pray, did 
you learn it? This is not an article of natural 
religion, but of revelation. You believe the fail 
of man in Adam, on the testimony of Scripture ; 
why then will you not admit his redemption by 
Christ on the same authority ? 

But let us suppose it to be as you have said, 
that man was not liable to these hardships at 
first, but has forfeited his happy state by his 
disobedience. Upon what grounds then do you 
insist that he should be placed again in it ? Man 
was created happy, and became wicked. Some 
other situation must be sought out for him ; a 
paradise is no place for his amendment. 

Persons who can make such high demands of 
happiness, must have formed their expectations* 
one would think, from works of God unknown 
to us, and worlds very different from this which 
we inhabit. The Maker of the earth on which we 
live, does not appear, by any thing we see in it 3 
to have intended it for a place of pleasure aiid 
indulgence, but of discipline and trial ; offering, 

together 



124 



SERMON- IV. 



together with a sufficient, but mostly moderate 
supply of our necessities, abundant matter for 
the exercise and improvement of our virtue. 
In this view, the world was created and redeem- 
ed with equal wisdom ; and every thing in both 
these dispensations properly adapted to the end 
which God designed. 

But when we seek happiness here, we look 
for what was never found. The plant grows 
not in this soil. But infirmities and afflictions \ 
pain of body and anguish of mind } cares and 
fears, and disappointments, both in the pursuit 
and possession of our wishes ; with clamorous 
passions and eager appetites, impatient of de- 
nial, inflamed by indulgence ; and a multitude 
of other evils, which no tongue can count, or 
medicine heal, sticking close to the life of man 
in all stations, and pursuing him through every 
period of the little laborious interval between 
the cradle and the grave; 

Such is the condition, in which it has seemed 
good to God to place us 5 as we all see, and 
feel ; ordered according to his own eternal 
counsels, not our blind will 5 little accommo- 
dated to our wishes, but chosen by his unerring 
wisdom. 

Heb. vii. And such a High-Priest also became us ; was 
suitable to the state of such sinners t, touched 

with 



SERMON IV. 



125 



with the feelings of our infirmities ; and in all 

points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 

The cup of which we are made to drink, is 

offered to the Son of God, and the Captain ofUeb.il 

oar salvation made perfect through sufferings. \°c or v j 

But those sufferings are also the price of our 20. 

, cl Pet. i. 

redemption, the consideration on account or jo. 

which we sinners are received to mercy. With-. Hcb - 1X - 
out sliedding of blood there is no remission : He 1 John ii. 
1$ the propitiation of our sins. ~ % 

Expiatory sacrifices were in use from the ear- 
liest times, and were expressly required by Al- 
mighty God of the nation of the Jews. This 
divine person, therefore, that he might have 
somewhat much more valuable to offer, as- Heb. x. 5. 
sumed a body that was prepared for him, and of- 1Q e ' *' 
fered himself, as a Lamb without spot, to God. 
He had no sins of his own to expiate ; but, re- 
gardless of pleasure, ease, and life, and moved 
by the most exalted devotion to God, and un- 
bounded charity to man, he gave his side to the 
spear, he stretched out his arms upon the cross ; 
and made a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, 
oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole 
world. 

But you would be glad to know the reasons 
of these wonderful counsels, and comprehend 
the whole mystery of man's redemption. 

X)o you comprehend the other plans of Pro- 

vidence 



126 



SERMON IV. 



vidence in so complete and masterly a manner ? 
Is this the only counsel of God which eludes 
your inquiry ? 

God hath been pleased to give life, you see, 
to other creatures on earth besides man : did he 
intend them to be happy ? are they always so ? 
can any of them ever have deserved to be other- 
wise ? 

Perhaps they were made for man. But why 
must they die in order to sustain him ? It is 
Matt. iv. written that man doth not live by bread alone, but 
by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of 
God : why did he not speak this word ? What ! 
was there no support to be found for him in the 
magazines of omnipotence, but by the slaughter 
of so many victims, unwilling victims ? 

What say you to this part of the divine go- 
vernment ? Do vou choose to censure it ? Are 
you able to explain it ? 

You see your own children perhaps ruined by 
your vices ; then ask if it be possible that any 
person should suffer but for his own offences. 
Or rather, I hope, you see them become vir- 
tuous and happy by your care and kindness ; 
and no longer wonder to be told, that when they 
and you are made partakers together of life 
eternal, you will all be indebted for so great a 
blessing to something further than your own en- 
deavours to obtain it. 

The 



I 



•SERMON IV, 127 

The doctrine, that God is in Christ reconciling 2 Cor. v. 
the world unto himself, mysterious as it must ever 19, 
appear to the eye of curiosity, opens to the in- 
genuous heart reflections of the highest impor- 
tance. And who may take upon him to say, 
that so great an use was not even among the 
reasons of this awful dispensation ? 

The redemption of mankind by the sufferings 
and death of the Son of God, is the greatest 
proof of divine mercy ; and, at the same time, 
to a noble, nay, to any mind, the greatest dis- 
couragement to vice, that is possible to be con- 
ceived by man ; the strongest obligation that is 
in all nature to gratitude, the sublimest and 
most forcible inducement to repentance. 

Believe, then, that the Almighty Father deli- 
vered up his only-begotten, for this very end, 
to shew us in their full light, both the unbound- 
ed extent of his goodness, and the inexpressible 
danger of our impenitence : to teach to poor 
fallen man, the love and the fear of him that 
made him. In the chain of being descending 
from heaven to earth, the baleful effects even of 
human vice are felt higher than all our concep- 
tions can reach. God is love : there is nothing Uohniv, 
he is not willing to do for his creatures ; yet ' 
obstinate disobedience can frustrate all the ef- 
forts of omnipotent goodness. What shall I do f Luke xx, 
/ mil send my beloved Son. — If we sin wilfully ^ b 

after 26. 



128 



SERMON IV. 



after that we have received this knowledge of the 
truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins ; 
but a certain fearfid looking for of judgement , and 
fiery indignation. 

As the proofs of God's grace and goodness 
are multiplied, so is the dread of his displeasure 
increased ; and this on a double account : the 
condemnation is more certain, the punishment 
more terrible, 

Rom, xi. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of 
God : behold them brought near to us now, by 
the death of Christ, and spread out to an amaz- 
ing magnitude ; see, what he has prepared for 
the sin of man ! how rich a ransom ! what tre- 
mendous vengeance ! He offers you the choice 
of either. 

We accept, Lord, thy tender of grace, and 

Rom.viii. are willing to he conformed to the image of thy 
Heb iii ^ on : emDracm g whatever sufferings thou art 
14. pleased to allot, that we may he made partakers 
of Christ. We trace his steps through this vale 
of tears ; without impatience, yet pressing for- 
ward ; not complaining of labour, yet desirous 
of rest, We are encompassed with troubles, 
but our eye is fixed on immortality ; we suffer 
Ps.ii. li. in hope ; and rejoice with trembling. 

And Oh ! when he who once appeared in the 
form of a servant, and died as a malefactor and 
a slave, shall come agrain with powe\-, and array- 
ed 



SERMON IV. 



129 



ed with his Father's glory, then also may we be 
like hint; if so be that we suffer with him, may we lJohniil 
be glorified together. Let us never be found R m. viii. 
among those truly miserable, v^ho have their por- JJ. 
tion of happiness in this life ; those utterly lost, 14.' * 
for whom Christ is dead in vain; that ungrateful Gal.ii.2L 
impious number, who refuse him that speaketh jjeb. xii. 
whether on earth or from heaven ; and whose ~ 5, 
condemnation are but the more increased, by 
guilt and all that God hath done, and God hath 
suffered for their salvation. 



K 



SER- 



SERMON V. 



ACTS ii. 31. 

HIS SOUL WAS NOT LEFT IN HELL, NEITHER HIS 
FLESH DID SEE CORRUPTION. 

When the Saviour of the world had now 
been suspended, with his arms stretched out 5 
and his hands and feet nailed to the ignomi- 
nious tree, from the third to the ninth hour ; 
he perceived at length the approach of that wel- 
come messenger, death ; and having received John xix, 
the vinegar ', he said. It is finished : and he bowed 30 ' 
his head, and gave up the ghost. 

It is finished. The important work, for which 
my Father sent me, and I came willingly into 
the world, is at last accomplished. I have done, 
and have now suffered, the whole will of God. 
The bitter cup which might not pass away from Matth. 
me 9 is emptied to the dregs. It remains that I XXV1 * 4 ^ 
repose a moment after this painful conflict. I 
will appear on the third day with the palm of 
K 2 victory^ 



132 



SERMON V. 



victory, and again in the pomp of triumph at . 
the day of judgement. 

The Redeemer had no further sufferings, that 
we know of, to endure after his death. It is 
written, that his soul was not left in hell, neither 
his flesh did see corruption* But nothing is more 
common in scripture than a repetition of the 
same sentiment in different words. The word 
Soul often denotes the Person, without regard 
to the distinction between soul and body ; and 
that which is here rendered hell, may mean the 
( ,T!r t .r 3 or the state and place of the dead, with- 
out implying either reward or torment. 

The human soul of our Lord was by death 
separated from the body ; and remained, till 
his resurrection, in the place or state of un- 
clothed spirits. 

But its abode there was not long. The de- 
parted soul, and the crucified body of the Re- 
deemer were soon reunited ; and, according to 
his own express promise, on the third day he 
rose again from the dead. The witnesses of 
this important event are competent, clear, and 
full. 

They who of all men had the best knowledge 
of the person of Christ, did themselves see, 
Acts i. and hear, and handle him, after his resurrection, 
* 9 ' Of these men which have companied with us all the 

time that the Lord Jems went in and out among 

USy 



SERMON V. 133 

ns, beginning from the baptism of John, unto that 
same day that he "was taken up from us, must one 
be ordained to be a witness with us of his resur- 
rection. They had been his attendants for some 
years before his passion ; and conversed with 
him forty days after it. They do not amuse us 
with imaginations or conjecture : it is not a 
matter of tradition or probability which they de- 
liver. But, That which we have seen with our i John I 

1 3 

eyes, and our hands have handled of the word of 3 ' 
life, that which we have seen and heard, declare we 
unto you. The Apostles had the repeated evi- 
dence of every sense, for the truth of the fact 
which they published to the world : and if they 
assure us that their Lord is risen indeed, it is Luke 
because he shewed himself alive after his passion, ™^ \\ 
by many infallible proofs. 

The witnesses of our Lord's resurrection were 
also numerous. He was seen of Cephas, then of iCor.xv. 
the twelve : after that, he was seen of five hundred 5> 6 ' 
brethren at once. What an air of truth in the 
words that follow ! Of whom the greater part re- 
main unto this present. It is obstinacy then, or 
vice, or folly, or any thing but reason, that sup- 
ports us, if we refuse to yield our assent, when 
we are compassed about with so great a cloud of Heb. xi. 
witnesses. l ° 

Nor are we yet possessed of the entire amount 
of their testimony, unless we reflect that they 
* K 3 were 



SERMON V. 



were most undoubtedly uncorrupt. To what 
end, for what purpose, should they attempt to 
impose upon mankind ? What interests or views 
of their own were these poor men pursuing? 
At what scope could they possibly aim ? or by 
what human principle be influenced ? 

Perhaps ambition. Yes ; you have detected 
their latent passion : they were indeed ambi- 
tious ; aspiring to the great, but yet unenvied 
honour, of suffering in the cause of God ; the 
dignity of bearing contempt and insult, for the 
Actsv. sake of religion, truth, and virtue. When they 
had called the Apostles, and beaten them, they 
commanded that they should not speak in the name 
of Jesus : and they departed from the presence of 
the council, rejoicing that they "were counted wor- 
thy to suffer shame for his name. — Unto you it is 
lm given, as a peculiar favour and honour, Unto 
you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to 
believe on him, but cdso to suffer for his sake. 

Or it was pleasure perhaps those foolish per- 
sons had in view, and the plan of Christianity 
was projected as a scheme of sensual enjoyment. 
Foolish indeed ! if this was the object of their 
/pursuits. Their pleasures were as little desir- 
able as their honours. The only pleasures they 
expected, or experienced, besides the satisfac- 
tion of a good conscience, and the hopes of 
another life, were the pleasures of being scourg- 
ed 



SERMON V. 



135 



ed and beaten, of being imprisoned, and tor. 

tured, and killed. If in this life only xve have i Cor. xv. 

hope in Christ, xve are of all men most miserable. 19 ° 

Not only miserable, but impious and mad, to 
abandon their friends, and family, and country ; 
for the pleasure of spreading a known falsehood, 
and the reward of dying, both in body and soul, 
for the support of it. 

But what sceptic was ever satisfied ? What 
caviller confuted ? The adversaries of our faith, 
rinding no further resources on the plain ground 
of common sense, make their last retreat into 
the thorns of subtilty. 

The resurrection, it seems, was an event so 
strange, that no testimony whatever is enough 
to prove it : the story, we may be sure, is no! 
true, whoever he be that tells it. 

On what foundation, pray, do you build an 
assurance so very absolute ? 

On the foundation of experience. 

As how ? 

I am to tell you, then, that we know nothing 
of the essence of causality ; but found all our 
assent upon similitude. 

I am not sure that I comprehend you. 

You cannot be possessed of so fine an argu- 
ment in its perfection, without having recourse 
to the original inventor : it may suffice to let 
you know in brief, that we believe always what 

K 4 is 



136 



SERMON V. 



is most likely and call that most likely, which 
most resembles what we have before met with. 

But things often fall out that were not likely. 

Yes; so often, that we find it, in general, 
likely that they should ; and in each particular 
case reflect which of the two is less likely, that 
the thing should be as it is represented, or the 
reporter represent it falsely. 

Have you ever found in the course of your 
experience that any thing was not true, which 
had been as well attested as the resurrection ? 

It was a miracle : experience therefore, uni- 
versal experience, declares against it. 
i Cor. xv. That of the Jive hundred brethren who saw it, 
°* was, sure, on the other side. 

You must appeal to present experience. Na- 
ture we find unchangeable. 

Nature ! When I dispute with you about 
Christianity, I suppose that you believe a God, 

You suppose perhaps too fast. 

Then I have no further dispute with you : I 
leave you to other hands. Christianity desires 
no greater honour than to be received by every 
one that is not an Atheist. 

Suppose there be a God : what then ? 

Why, then, he made the world. 

Well. 

And a multitude of things must have been 
done at that time of the creation, which are 

not 



SERMON V. 

not comprehended within the present course of 
nature. Every animal, every vegetable, must 
have been brought into being at first in some 
manner of which the world now affords no ex- 
amples. Of this we have no experience, yet 
we allow it to be true \ and we need no testi- 
mony, for we know it must have happened. 

And if the Son of God were to assume our 
nature a second time, and be once more cruci- 
fied and buried ; according to the unalterable 
laws of the universe, he must rise again from 
the grave, and the pains of death be loosed as be- 
fore, because it was not possible that he should 
be holden of it 

The opinion that this present life is the whole 
of man, that death puts an entire end to his 
being, and there can be nothing for any one to 
hope or fear after it, is of all the most contrary 
to religion, and destructive to virtue. This 
great error is in a special manner confuted by 
our Lord's resurrection ; and the doctrine of a 
future state established beyond the reach of 
controversy. 

He had indeed taken care, during his life, to 
inculcate a truth of so much consequence, and 
confirm it both by his authority and by argu- 
ments. Be not afraid of them that kill the body, Luke 
and after that have no more that they can do, j\nke 
He is not a God of the dead, hut of the Iking : ss. 

for 



138 



SERMON V. 



for all live unto him. But our Lord has now de- 
monstrated this article of faith to the senses of 
mankind ; and by raising himself to life, he gave 
at the same time a proof and a specimen of the 
great doctrine he had before delivered. Do we 
disregard his testimony ? are his arguments not 
convincing ? yet what can we object to so plain 
a fact ? shall we dispute also against experience ? 

We are taught further to expect the resurrec- 
tion of the body. The light of reason has been 
able to induce many good men to look for an- 
other life after death. But they did not extend 
their hopes to the resurrection of the body. 
They only trusted that they should not perish 
wholly, but their souls might survive the disso- 
lution of this earthly frame. We now see that 
the body also shall be partaker of the life to 
come. The hand of death, though it lays hold 
on us, can keep nothing which belongs, to us. 
The exquisite knot, so rudely broken, shall be 
tied again, never to be dissolved more. Be- 
hold ray hands and my feet ; that it is I myself: 
handle me, and see ; for a spirit hath not fiesh and 
bones, as ye see me have. 

The dominion of our Lord is also connected 
with his resurrection, which was his entrance, 
Matth. as it were, upon his universal government. All 
Koni xiv! P ouer i- s given unto me in heaven, and in earth. 
9 To this end Christ both died, and rose, and re- 

vived 



SERMON V. 139 

lived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and 
living. 

Lastly, that most important article of faith, 
a future judgement, is confirmed by the result 
rection of our Lord, who is the appointed Judge, 
to whom this high office is committed in reward 
of his great humiliation ; and whose own return 
to life, and exaltation to power and glory, is 
the greatest instance, and the surest pledge of 
the just judgement of God. As the Father rais- John v. 
eth up the dead and quicke?ieth tliem ; even so the Vq%^ 5s 
Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father 
judgeth no man; but hath committed all judgement 
unto the Son. The hour is coming when the dead 
shall hear tlie voice of the Son of God : and they 
that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life 
in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life 
in himself; and hath given him authority to execute 
judgement also, because he is the Son of man. 



SER^ 



SERMON VL 



HEBR. ii. 10. 

FOR IT BECAME HIM, FOR WHOM ARE ALL THINGS, 
AND BY WHOM ARE ALL THINGS, IN BRINGING 
MANY SONS UNTO GLORY, TO MAKE THE CAP- 
TAIN OF THEIR SALVATION PERFECT THROUGH 
SUFFERINGS. 

Those are commonly the fittest persons to 
command, who have before learned to obey. 
Men are best qualified for places of authority 
by subjection. 'Tis in this school they learn to 
bend their stubborn will, to break the impetuo- 
sity and fierceness so natural to the human mind, 
and acquire that patience of restraint which is 
both becoming and useful in every condition of 
life, and most of all in the highest. Being thus 
made acquainted with the difficulties of those 
duties which they are authorised to enjoin, they 
become the more equitable in their commands, 
reserved in their censures, and gentle in their 
punishments. Nor can it well be expected that 

any 



142 



SERMON VI. 



any thing less than a long course of rigid disci- 
pline should be able to produce such a perma- 
nent principle of moderation as will be always 
wanted amidst the means and solicitations of 
indulgence. 

Accordingly we may observe, that as the race 
of mankind, being intended for a higher station 
among the works of their Creator, are trained 
up for it by the trials and troubles of which the 
world is full ; so also many a particular person, 
whom God hath designed to raise in this pre- 
sent life to an extraordinary degree of great- 
ness, has, in the wisdom of his Providence^ 
been exercised by a series of afflictions, as re- 
markable as that advancement to which they 
have conducted him. 

You call to mind the example of that virtuous 
youth who became the support of the old patri- 
arch's family, lord of all the land of Egypt, and 
a father to Pharaoh, but not till he had first 
tasted of the bitter cup of adversity, and seen 
himself both a prisoner and a slave. 

You cast your eye upon that forlorn fugitive, 
who escapes alone and naked from a house sur- 
rounded by assassins ; he is pursued from one 
wilderness to another, and hunted (it is his own 
word) through all the mountains of Israel, by 
one who has been indebted for victory to his 
valour, and to his mercy for life, till he is driven 

to 



SERMON VI. 



to seek shelter amongst the enemies he had van- 
quished, and to assume the mask of madness ; 
yet is he still the anointed of the Lord, destin- 
ed to be the prince of his chosen people, and 
the father of the Son of God* 

And that very Son himself, though he had no 
evil habits to eradicate, nor stubborn heart to 
tame ; though in no danger of being corrupted 
by power, or tempted in any state of exaltation 
to refuse the counsels of moderation and mer- 
cy \ yet was he made conformable to the com- 
mon pattern, and went up to the throne of his 
Father by the same steps of sorrow. 

Labour, want, and pain, are the beaten road 
to greatness. And it became him, for whom are 
all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing 
many sons to glory, to make the Captain of their 
salvation perfect through sufferings : to conduct 
him to his supreme dominion, through a pre- 
vious state of humiliation and sorrow ; and deal 
with him, though not for the same reasons, yet 
in the same manner as with those whom he is Heb. 1 
not ashamed to call brethren. llu 

He did no sin, neither was guile found in his i p et 
mouth. If the purification of his own heart had 22 - 
been the end proposed, all his sufferings had 
been superfluous. He was ever decked with 
the robe of righteousness. It was not necessary j sa k 

thus 10 < 



SERMON VL 



Rev. xix. thus to clothe him with the vesture dipped in 

Heb.y.8. hl00cL 

But though he were a Son, yet learned he obe- 
dience by the things which he suffered. He was 
made acquainted with the severest trials of vir- 
tue 5 called to submission in its hardest instan- 
ces. He was taught by his own experience and 
feeling, how painful the passage is through the 
storms of human life ; how difficult that disci- 
pline by which the children of God are trained 
Heb.v.9. to happiness. And being made perfect, having 
finished his course of afflictions, and possessing 
the reward of them, his place at the right hand 
Matth. of God, the exercise of all power in heaven and 
xK.yiu.i8. ' m €ar fj l . j ie jj ecame the author of eternal salva- 
tion unto all them that obey him. He governs the 
church which is yet left behind him upon earth ; 
and by his word and ordinances, his Providence 
and Spirit, he conducts all those who are wall- 
ing to be thus led, along the same road, to the 
same place, whither he is gone before : That 
FhiL iii. being first made conformable to his death, they 
Kc«n vi ma y ^ ecome partakers of his resurrection ; and 
5. following him through the paths of pain and 

Phil. iii. trouble, m ay join in his triumphant ascension j 
Johnxiv. and that where he is, they may be also. 

Since then the Son of God incarnate was made 
to pass through a state of very severe sufferings, 
before he ascended up into heaven \ and since 

his 



SERMON VI. 



his saints and servants have in this respect been 
required to tread in his steps; we cannot but 
know what our lot is like to be in going through 
the same world. 

Nor should we only learn to look for afflic- 
tions, we should be willing to find them, when 
we reflect that they have fallen so largely to the 
share of so many persons better than ourselves, 
and of the Son of God himself. 

Nay, w r e should be even thankful for our suf- 
ferings, did we consider the ends for which they 
are inflicted on us, and the great good we re- 
ceive from them. 

It was indeed on our account that the Re- 
deemer submitted to so low a state of humilia- 
tion and sorrow. He had no depravities of 
heart to atone for, or to correct. Still, he died, 
for our admonition and encouragement, for the 
confirmation of our faith, and for the expiation 
of our sins. And yet, even to himself, his suf- 
ferings were not without very valuable fruits, 
the increase both of his honour and happiness, 
by the gratitude and salvation of a world of 
sinners. He could not proceed to his glorious 
resurrection, and the triumph of his ascension, 
but through the gate of death. The very do- 
minion which he now exercises over all things 
that are in heaven and earth, is the purchase of 
his own condemnation before the tribunal of an 
L unjust 



146 



SERMON VI. 



Phil. ii. unjust judge. He became obedient unto death, 
John v° therefore God also hath highly exalted him, and 
27. given him a name "which is above every name ; 
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bon\ 
of things in heaven, and things in earth, and 
things under the earth : And hath given him au- 
thority to execute judgement also, because he is the 
Son of man. 

But the sufferings which to him were only 
glorious, are necessary to us. Our condition re- 
quires this treatment. We are sick of a disease 
which will yield to no other application. Into 
what excesses should we not run headlong with- 
put this seasonable restraint ! Humanity, mode- 
ration, charity, and. even justice, are too seldom 
seen in the world, as it is : but the very foot- 
steps of these virtues would not be visible upon 
the earth, if adversity were banished out of it. 
Eager appetites, clamorous passions, hearken 
to no other call. The voice of Reason cannot 
reach them. As full of unhappiness as the 
world is, men still find courage to be wicked : 
and the little of virtue that yet remains among 
us, is chiefly owing to this salutary discipline. 

We thank God, perhaps, when we do thank 
him, for prosperity ; for health, plenty, success, 
and honour. We do well. They are the gifts 
of God's providence, and demand our acknow- 
ledgements. But they are not the only blessings 

his 



SERMON VI. 

his goodness confers on us. Adversity should 
be added to the number ol his favours, and re- 
membered in our most devout thanksgivings. 

Blessed be God for pain, sickness, disappoint- 
ment, distress ; and every one of those various 
evils with which the life of man is filled, and 
which are the subjects of our hasty complaints : 
evils, which are our greatest good ; which af- 
flict, but purify \ tear and harrow up the soul, 
but prepare it for the seeds of virtue. 

Blessed be God that he is not so unkind as to 
try us by the most dangerous of all tempta- 
tions, uninterrupted prosperity : that we are not 
undone by the accomplishment of our wishes : 
that he is pleased to chastise us with his legitimate 
children, and with his dear and only-begotten 
Son ; whom we hope to follow through the gate 
of the grave to a joyful resurrection, and to be 
received by him into those mansions which he 
is now preparing for us in heaven, where he 
liveth and reigneth with the Father and Holy 
Spirit, one God, world without end* 



SERMO'N VII, 



1 THESS. iv. 14. 

FOR IF WE BELIEVE THAT JESUS DIED, AND ROSE 
AGAIN J EVEN SO THEM ALSO WHICH SLEEP JN 
JESUS, WILL GOD BRING WITH HIM. 

Every command of Almighty God, our 
Creator, has a right, no doubt, to our obe- 
dience, and every truth which comes down 
from the Father of lights, demands our assent. James 
Yet, as our Lord directs us to distinguish be- 1/1 
tween the weightier matters of the law, which are 
to be done first, and the other parts of it, which, 
however, are not to be left undone ; so have we Mattfi. 
ground to put a difference among articles of xx * n * 2 
faith ; there being some capital doctrines in re- 
ligion, which require bur belief more indispen- 
sably than others, and more amply reward our 

meditations. 

Of these the principal are, that Christ died for 

our sins, that he rose from the dead, and that 

he will come again to judgement. 

L 3 In 



150 



SERMON VII. 



Rom. iii. In his death, he is set forth as a propitiation ; 

Matth as ne declares °f himself, that he came to give 

xx. 28. his life a ransom for many. 

By his resurrection, he gave full proof of the 
truth of all his doctrines, and particularly of his 
future return to judgement, as it is written s 

Acts xvii. God hath appointed a day, in xvhich he will judge 
the world in righteousness, by that Man whom he 
hath ordained ; whereof he hath given assurance 
unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the 
dead. 

'The future judgement is the completion of his 
office, in the final distribution of rewards and 
punishments ; offering to our view, both that 
2 Cor. v. terror of the Lord, so efficacious in dissuading 

*Pet i * men fr° m sm i anc ^ tnose exceeding great and 
precious promises, by which we are made parta- 
l John iii. kers of the divine nature ; for we ''know that when 
he shall appear, we shall be like Jam ; for we shall 
see him as he is. 
l Thes. Jf *we believe that Jesus died, and rose again, 
even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God 
bring with him. 

But. both the high rank of these articles in a 
Christian's faith, and their connection with each 
other, are shewn together by St Fau», in the 
15th chapter of his first Epistle to the Corin- 
thians ; where he ushers them in with much so- 
lemnity, and dignifies them with the name of 

the 



iv. 14. 



SERMON VII. 



151 



the gospel ; as if all he had written before, 
through so many pages, had been, in compari- 
son, no part of it. Moreover, brethren, I de- 
clare unto you the gospel which I preached unto 
yQU\ which also ye have received, and wherein ye 
stand ; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep m 
memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have 
believed in vain. For I delivered unto you firsv 
of all, that which I also received, how that Christ 
died for our sins, according to the scriptures : and 
that he was buried, and that he rose again the 
third day, according to the scriptures. The go- Gal. i. 12. 
spel which I preach I had from Christ. The 
first thing he taught me was this, that he died 
for the sins of men ; and the second, that being 
buried, he rose again. Nozv, if Christ rose from 1 Cor. ,: . 
the dead, how say some among you that there is ' " 
no resurrection of tlie dead? Then is our preach- vey , io, 
ing vain, and your faith is also vain. Our reli- 
gion is worth nothing without the^e parts of it. 
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we art 
of all men most miserable. 

So that the great proof of a future judge- 
ment, is the declaration of Scripture : the tes- 
timony of our Lord, who is himself the Judge, 
and by the many wonders of his life, and his 
glorious resurrection from the dead, hath given 
the most ample demonstration, that he is able 
to fulfil his promises, and execute his threaten- 
L 4 ings ; 



152 



SERMON VII. 



Matth. * n S s ? an( i tnat when the Son of man shall come 
xxv. 31, i n jyg glory \ and all the holy angels with him, then 
shall he sit upon tlie throne of his glory, and all 
nations sliall be gathered before him. 

This proof from Scripture has the advantage 
of being at the same time universally intelli- 
gible and decisive ; level to the capacity of the 
lowest among the vulgar, and satisfactory to 
the most scrupulous in the school of philosophy. 

But there are also other arguments, suggest- 
ed by the voice of reason, in number not few, 
and in weight, taken altogether, very consider- 
able ; tending, each according to its strength, 
to raise in us the thoughts, or hopes, or expec- 
tation of another life, and a judgement to 
come. 

The universality of this persuasion, may be 
urged here w T ith the same propriety as it is al- 
ledged in proof of the being of God ; and, if 
the persuasion be equally general, with the same 
force. Tor so universal a concurrence in the 
sentiments of mankind must either be owing to 
some original revelation, or else must arise from 
the suggestions of nature, and the plain prin- 
ciples of reason. The seeds of this belief must 
have been mixed with the very mould of which 
we were made, since they are so apt to shoot 
up in every breast. 

But besides this secondary kind of argument, 

which 



SERMON VII. 



which we draw from the concurrent sentiments 
of mankind ; those very suggestions of nature, 
or principles of reason, which have been suffi- 
cient to prevail with others, will themselves also 
deserve our attention. 

The human soul, being endowed with the 
powers of perception and will, so remote from 
all the known qualities of matter, or even incon-? 
sistent with them, appears to be immaterial ; 
and by consequence, not being capable of divi- 
sion or dissolution of parts, must be naturally 
immortal. 

So much, at least, is evident ; that That which 
thinks in man, of whatever it consists, does not 
necessarily cease to be, whenever it ceases to 
act, or when its operation ceases to be visible ; 
of which the suspension of thinking during 
sleep, if there be a suspension, is a proof. It 
is certain, however, that some persons have re- 
turned to life, and to the perfect consciousness 
of their own identity, after a cessation for hours, 
and even days, of all the discernible tokens of 
thought or action. 

But there are considerations of a moral kind 
which lead towards the same conclusions. We 
are conscious to ourselves of good and ill desert, 
in the practice of virtue and the commission of 
vice. We know it is fit and proper that rewards 
and punishments should be distributed to such 

creatures 



15* 



SERMON VII. 



creatures as men, according to their behaviour* 
We are all sensible in our hearts that this is 
right ; and may deny, but cannot doubt it. 

Experience also assures us that this is done, 
to a considerable degree, in the state in which 
we are placed at" present. We in fact live un- 
der a moral government, by the constitution of 
things, that is, by the appointment of God. He 
is therefore a moral governor over us, reward- 
ing virtue, and punishing vice. 

This character of the Supreme Being recom- 
mends him to our approbation. We believe 
him to be true, and good, and just ; and honour 
him the more for being so. 

Still this moral government of God, in the 
present state, is not perfect \ being obstructed 
by various impediments, which yet do not ap- 
pear to have been designed by him, in the same 
manner as the causes are designed which pro- 
mote that moral government. Notwithstanding 
all the tendency of virtue to happiness, there 
have been good men, good at least in compa- 
rison of others, to appearance unhappy \ and 
bad men, whose vicious practice has not yet ren- 
dered them miserable. Will the Almighty per- 
mit such a defect to remain in his works ? such 
inequalities to go unrectifled for ever ? 

Or may we not rather hope, that this life is 
not the whole of man ? But there will come af- 
ter 



SEHMON VIL 



1 



ter it another state, in which the distinction be- 
tween the good and bad will be made more con-^ 
spicuous and complete ; and even a peculiar re- 
gard be had to the want of this distinction in 
the present life, so far as it has been wanting ? 

This is a short abstract of the argument for a 
future state, and just judgement to come, as it 
appears by the light of nature : a light shining 2 Pet. 
but in a dark place, till the day dawned, and the ^ ^ 
Sun of righteousness arose. 

But if unhappily all our arguments be in- 
effectual, if still there be found some minds too 
dull to discern, or too disputatious to admit their 
validity ; we have yet in reserve one method 
by which every person, let his capacity or turn 
of mind be what it will, may bring himself in- 
fallibly to the full belief of this great article of 
our religion : and it is this, let him be a good 
man. Let him do what he knows in his con- 
science to be his duty, whether any one will 
ever bring him to account for the discharge of 
it, or not : Let him learn not to fear the inspec- 
tion of a heavenly eye : Let him be just such a 
person as he ought to be, if it were certain he 
shotdd be called to judgement ; and we may be 
bold to pronounce that his scruples will soon 
vanish. If any man will do God's will, lie shall John 
know of the doctrine whether it be of God. This 
method will help him wonderfully to see the 

force 



156 



SERMON 



Ps. cxix. force of arguments ; and make him Wiser than 
the aged, because he keeps the commandments. It 
will do more towards the confirmation of his 
belief than the most persevering study of phi- 
losophy, or even of the Holy Scriptures : and it 
will, besides, do that for him which belief can- 
not do ; it will save him. It will exceed the 
knowledge of mysteries, or gift of tongues, or 
power of working miracles. It will place him 

Jude 24. before the presence of his Judge with exceeding 
joy ; and through the mercy of Almighty God, 
the grace of his Spirit, and the mediation of his 
Son, secure to him the possession of that bliss, 
which others indeed of greater ingenuity or elo- 
quence might prove with more exactness, or 
preach with more power ; but which the good 
alone have the wisdom to obtain. 



SER* 



SERMON VIII 



ROM. xv. 13. 

NOW THE GOD OF HOPE FILL YOU WITH ALL JOY 
AND PEACE IN BELIEVING, THAT YE MAY ABOUND 
IN HOPE THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY 
GHOST. 

It is not only true, that there is a God who 
made us ; it is a truth to which we are bound 
to give assent. 

Is it not a duty to be grateful ? God hath 
given us all we have - 9 and should we not thank 
him for it ? He teacheth us more than the beasts j b 
of the earth : and will he not require that we lle 
know more ? He speaks to us loudly in all his 
works : are we at liberty not to hear ? When he Job 
made a decree for the rain, and a *way for the gg V1 
lightning of the thunder ; unto man he said. Be- 
hold the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom : and 
can we be innocent when we do not fear him ? 
On this subject, inattention is vice ; and igno- 
rance 



158 



SERMON VIII. 



Jer.ix. 5, ranee depravity. As it is written, They have 
taught their tongue to speak lies : through deceit 
they refuse to know me, saith the Lord. 

This belief of the being of God is alsomost 
highly favourable to the cause of virtue, or even 
absolutely necessary to it; and atheism strength- 
ens every temptation to what is evil. Naked 

Eph. vi. we stand, and open to all the fiery darts of the 
wicked one, having cast away the shield of faith^ 
and put off the whole armour of God. 

Secondly, Let us now suppose, that, as we 
were originally created by Almighty God, so we 
Lave been redeemed by his Son : That we had 
fallen from a state of happiness by the sin of 
our first parents ; and were become liable for 
our own offences also to further degrees of our 
Maker's displeasure, and to everlasting condem- 
nation : That this Divine Person interposed in 
our behalf, 'took upon him our nature, and in a 
human body bore the punishment due to our 
offences ; thus putting it into our power to be 
restored to God's favour, and again made par- 
takers of bliss eternal. 

Is not this instance similar to the preceding ? 
may not faith be as much a duty in the one 
case, as in the other ? according to the words of 

John xiv. our Lord, Ye believe in God ; believe also in me. 

*• It is of no importance in this question which 

way the knowledge is conveyed, but whether it 

be 



SERMON VIII. 



be in fact conveyed to us. The voice of God in 
his ivories is, in ten thousand instances, conti- 
nually unheard ; and as often, when it is heard, 
disregarded. But we are much to blame for 
our negligence, and more for our obstinacy. It 
is the same with his word addressed to us in the 
holy scriptures ; provided it be loud enough to 
be heard if we attend, and plain enough to be 
understood if we be docile. In short, from a 
willing mind, and a good disposition, his com- 
mands will meet with regard in both cases ; 
from men of other principles, in neither. 

The benefit which the Christian revelation 
proposes to us certainly deserves a serious 
thought. This is the least respect we can pay 
to an offer of everlasting life. We know that 
we are sinners, as surely as we know that we 
w T ere born ; and if sinners, liable to God's wrath. 
When we are told therefore that we may be re- 
conciled to our Maker, and restored to his love 
and favour for ever ; is it not worth while to 
consider whether this be true, and how it may 
be done ? Inquiry, then, is plainly our duty; in 
a matter of such importance, serious inquiry ; in 
one where so many prejudices are concerned, 
impartial. If then serious and impartial inquiry 
will produce conviction, conviction is a duty; 
and unbelief a sin. 

And as it was observed of the belief of a God, 



SERMON VIIL 



so this faith in Christ is not only right in itself, 
but also highly beneficial to the believer. The 
Christian religion is a school of virtue. 

The redemption of men by the Son of God, 
with the doctrine of a future judgement to be 
executed by that Divine Person, who came 
down from heaven to be crucified, in order that, 
he might deliver us from death eternal, is the 
strongest argument that was ever urged, or that 
can be conceived, to make men good. It has an 
efficacy proper to work upon every disposition ; 
to restrain the rash, to recover the fallen, to 
confirm the wavering, to soften the obdurate, to 
awe the presumptuous, to encourage and ani- 
mate the desponding and weak, and to improve 
and exalt the virtuous and good of every degree 
to perfection. 

But, thirdly, There is also still another Person, 
of divine nature ; another, and yet united with 
the Son and Father, in a manner intimate be- 
yond all other union, and inconceivable by mor- 
tal men ; whose concurrence is equally neces- 
1 Cor. aii. sary to our salvation, since no man can say 
that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost ; 
to whom all Christians are dedicated in baptism ; 
Matth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing 
xxvui.19. f] wm 02 filename of the Father, and of the Son, 
and of the Holy Ghost ; in whose name Chris- 
2Cor.xuL tians are solemnly blessed The grace of our 
I4 - Lord 



SERMON VIII. 



161 



Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the 

communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all ; 

who is so united with the Supreme Father, as 

the spirit of a man is with himself, for xvhat i Cor. il 

man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit 11 ' 

of man which is in him ? even so the things of 

God knoweth no one, hut the Spirit of God ; who 

by dwelling in Christians, makes them the 

temple of God : Know ye not that ye are the 1 Cor. 

temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth E .. 

in you ? Ye are builded togeiJier for an habita- 22.- 

tion of God through the Spirit ; by whom all i£ m ' vm ° 

good persons are led, comforted, sanctified, and Jo* 11 * 

sealed unto the day of redemption * and by whom, % xhess. 

together with the Father and the Son, the whole } 3 \ 

Epn. iVi 

body of the church is upheld and governed, for so. 
there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit; iCor.xii, 
there are differences of administrations, but tlie 4 ' 5 ' ^ 
same Lord ; diversities of operations, but it is the 
same God ; which worketh all in all. Now, if it 
be thus discovered to us, that there exists be- 
sides, and yet together with the Son and Father, 
a third Divine Person, to whom we are indebt- 
ed for so many, and such blessings ; can we be 
any longer at liberty whether we will acknow- 
ledge him or no ? 

The manner in which we receive intimation 
of these benefits also is not material ; whether 
by divine revelation, or by experience*, reason^ 

M ' or 



SERMON VIII. 



human testimony. For the obligation arises 
from the importance of the benefits, and the de- 
gree, not the kind of evidence we have of them. 
It is our part to attend with reverence, and in- 
quire with diligence, and decide with fairness : 
and if such an examination would end in assent, 
assent is our duty ; disobedience is impiety ; and 
unbelief a crime exactly like that of atheism. 

As it is thus a necessary duty to believe in 
the Holy Ghost, so this faith also will be of 
great advantage to us ; and, together with our 
belief in the Father and Son, contribute power- 
fully to the satisfaction of our minds, and to our 
advancement in all goodness. 

That there is often difficulty in acting rightly* 
is plain matter of experience. If you cannot 
admit that man wants any degree of uprightness 
which he ever possessed ; he wants at least that 
which, if he had it, would be a great blessing to 
him. Passions and appetites seduce him often 
from his interest ; his interest itself sometimes 
from his duty. 

The natural disposition is different, no doubt, 
in different persons : but in no person does it 
appear to be accommodated to the practice of 
virtue in the manner that is absolutely the best. 
An improper education, and the corrupt state 
of the world into which we are born, have per- 
verted us still further, even very early. But we 

who 



SERMON VIII. io§ 

who are grown up, have also, all of us, disor- 
dered our own appetites, affections, passions, by 
irregular gratification, and broken the balance of 
our internal constitution, by imprudent induU 
gences* Where is the person who can say he 
has not betrayed the authority of conscience* 
that vicegerent of God within ; but on the con- 
trary has supported it in the pre-eminence to 
which it is justly entitled, and by an uniform 
obedience rendered its power as absolute, as its 
right is unquestionable ? 

In this state therefore of difficulty in the dis- 
charge of what we feel to be our duty, and know 
to be our happiness ; must not any offer of help 
be embraced with alacrity, any hopes of it che- 
rished with joy, and every probable direction to 
obtain it, received with gratitude, and pursued 
with earnestness ? 

If ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts LuWxv 
ifiito your children; how much more shall your 13s 
Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them 
that ask him ? 

We wrestle not, not only, against Jlesh and Eph, vL 
blood, but against principalities, against powers, 1Ss 
those infernal beings who have usurped so large 
a share in the dominion of this wicked and de^ 
laded world. And our defence is proportioned 
to the danger : but, like the servant of the man of fi[ n v ^ 
Godi we are blind to our own strength* Be- 15, & e ** 

M 2 hold 



sermon vni. 



hold an host compassed the city both with horses 
and chariots ; and he said, Alas ! my master, hoxo 
shall we do ? And he answered, Fear not : for 
they that be with us, are more than they that be 
with them. And the Lord opened the eyes of the 
young man, and he saw ; and behold the mountain 
xvasfull of horses and chariots off re round about 
Elisha. 

The presence of Almighty God every where, 
has always been urged, and justly, as a powerful 
argument to withhold men from the commission 
of sin. But the object is brought still nearer to 
the eye, and acquires a prodigious magnitude 
from this article of a Christian's faith, That the 
Divine Spirit, one Person of the most sacred 
Trinity, inhabits within him ; and that his body 
i Cor. vi. is the temple of the Holy Ghost. 

He pretends not to understand the divine 
goodness, any more than to deserve it. One 
thing he knows, that it becomes him, so much 
l Pet. i. the more, to be holy in all manner of conversa- 
iJohniii t' ml an d godliness. He that hath this hope, pic- 
3. rifieth himself, even as he is pare. 
Rom.viii. He reflects that he is now a debtor, not to the* 
12, is. f e sh 9 to live after the fesh : for if ye live after the 
fesh, ye shall die : but if ye through the Spirit do 
mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live ; that 
every sin is offensive to his heavenly guest ; and 
every habit of it incompatible with his presence ; 

that 



SERMON VIII. 165 

that the pollutions of the world, and the deceits 
of it, are alike repugnant to the Spirit of truth 
and purity : they profane the temple of God, 
and drive out the divinity from within him. 

Blessed Lord ! who may stand in thy sight ? 
We tremble to reflect on thy transcendent 
goodness ; and contemplate our own happiness 
with terror. 

Depart from me, for I am a sinfid man, Luke v. 8. 
Lord. Or rather, come and purify, and pre- 
pare an habitation for thyself. Burn up every 
inordinate affection, kindle every holy desire, 
with the brightness of thy presence. Thyself make Ps. xvih. 
us such, that thou mayest delight to dwell with- j^ nxv ^ 
in us ; and that we may be one with thee, our 21, 23. 
Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier, for ever. 23. mX1V ' 

1 John ii. 
2*. 



SER- 



\ 



PRMON IX. 



1 JOHN iii. 24. 

AND HE THAT KEEPETH HIS COMMANDMENTS, 
DWELLETH IN HIIVJ a AND HE IN HIM ; AND HERE- 
SY WE KNOW THAT HE ABIDETH IN US, BY THE 
SPIRIT WHICH HE HATH GIVEN US. 

The Scriptures in many places speak of the 
Holy Spirit as abiding in believers. — But ye are Rom.viii. 
not in the flesh, but in the Spirit ; if so be that the 9 ' 
Spirit of God dwell in you : now, if any man have 
not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. I will John xiv. 
pray the Father, and he shall give you another 163 17 ' 
Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever, 
even the Spirit of truth ; he dwelleth with you, and 
shall be in you. Know ye not that ye are the 1 Cor. iii. 
temple of God; and that the Spirit of God dwelleth l6 ' 
in you ? — All the building, fitly framed together, Eph. ii, 
groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord; in whom 22, 
you also are builded together for an habitation 
of God through the Spirit.— Except a man be born Johniii.5, 

M 4 of 



168 



SERMON IX. 



of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the 
Rom.viii. kingdom of God. — -As many as are led by theSpi* 
rit of God, they are the sons of God. Sanctiflca- 
tion is represented, not as being exactly the 
same thing with the inhabitation of God's Spi- 
rit, but the effect of it ; as being his work. — 
1 Cor. n. Such were some of you : hut ye are washed, hut 
llf ye are sanctified,' — in the name of the Lord Jesus, 
I Pet.i.2. and by the Spirit of our God.- — Elect according to 
the foreknowledge of God the Father, through 
sayictification of the Spirit, unto obedience. 

Neither is it probable that the presence of 
the Holy Ghost thus spoken of, is to be under- 
stood of any favour peculiar to the first stage 
of the gospel, or confined to some few among 
the number of good Christians. The phrases 
now recited bear the face of a more extended 
signification, and seem to promise a general 
blessing. 

Yet many serious persons pretend to no expe- 
rience of this : and that experience which has 
been alleged in several ages, and particularly in 
our own, seems to be attended with difficulties ; 
the proofs not altogether unexceptionable ; the 
circumstances sometimes suspicious : to the 
creating of doubt and uneasiness in believers ; 
and to the scorn of infidels. 

But surely we need not be reminded that Chris- 
tians may have the assistance of the Spirit of 

God 



SERMON IX. 



169 



God, without the power of working miracles. 
The very readiness to receive the gospel, even 
in the first age of it, is ascribed to his opera- 
tion : A T o man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but 1 Cor. xii. 
by the Holy Ghost — *A great door l , says St Paul, ^or.xvi. 
and effectual, was opened unto me. — It is written 9. 
of Lydia, whose heart the Lord opened, That Acts xvi. 

• 14* 

she attended unto the things which were spoken. 

Often, indeed, the presence of the Divine 
Spirit was in those days visible in miraculous 
works ; which is not so now. Nor is this alto- 
gether unaccountable. 

The Father of all dispenses his blessings to 
his children with a kind of sparing liberality ; 
never bestowing less than is necessary ; seldom 
much more than is sufficient. In the beginning 
of the gospel-age, when the world was to be 
converted to a faith that opposed the reign- 
ing prejudices and interests of mankind, the 
preachers were furnished with proportional abi- 
lities, and the demonstration of the Spirit was 1 Cor - 
that of power. But as soon as Christianity by 
these supernatural means was spread abroad in 
the world, and men were disposed to receive 
the Gospel with less aversion, the powers which 
were no longer necessary, were no longer given. 
By degrees they became more rare and less dis- 
tinguishable , till at last they vanished from the 
earth. Men may therefore now believe in Je- 
sus* 



I TO 



SERMON IX. 



sus, and yet not be able to take up serpents, or 
drink deadly poison, without danger ; you may 
meet with pious persons, but none whose touch 
will heal the sick ; with many whose faith, we 
trust, is not only as a grain of mustard seed, but 
strong and active, and yet if they say to this 
mountain, Be thou removed and cast into the sea, 
it shall not obey them. 

Christians also may have the Spirit of Christ, 
without being inspired with the certain know- 
ledge of all divine things, or with skill infallible 
in the interpretation of Scripture. Ignorance, 
doubt, and error, may reside in the same breast 
with the fountain of all truth and light : be- 
cause he pours not out the streams of his bounty 
3 Cor. xii. without measure ; hut divide th to every man se r 
1 1 * verally as he mil. 

The Spirit was promised to the Apostles to 
teach them all things, and bring to their remem- 
brance whatsoever the Saviour had said unto them. 
And they laboured in the service of the Gospel 
as they were enabled and commanded. They 
communicated the will of God to the world ; 
they committed it to writing for future ages; 
and they sealed it with their blood. 

But yet, though the substance of our duty 
is evident, and the heads of the divine laws 
written in large characters ; there are still many 
ouestions, and to appearance considerable, which 

can 



SERMON IX. 



IT 



can receive no probable answer without the ut- 
most use of industry, and the help of learning, 
and with both no certain decision. 

However the divine revelation might be im- 
parted to the primitive teachers, their succes- 
sors have it to learn by slow and uncertain me- 
thods. 

But the same Being who made the world, re- 
deemed it ; and can we wonder to find a resem- 
blance in his operations ? Our first parent never 
passed through the state of infancy, but came 
into the world a man. The lot of his posterity 
is different. We are weak and helpless in our 
beginning of life, and ascend by tedious and 
tottering steps to our limited degree of strength 
and of understanding. 

The great Apostle might boast, Tlie Gospel Gal. l 
Which was preached of me is not after man. For 
I neither received it of man ; neither xvas I taught 
it but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. When it 
pleased God, "who separated me from my mother's 
womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his 
Son in me, that I might preach him among the 
heathen ; I conferred not with flesh and blood, l Tim. 
From being a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and l5 ' 
injurious, he became at once not a whit inferior 
to the very chiefest Apostles. 2 Cor. s 

But we are not to measure our expectations 5 * 
by these great examples. It is enough that our 

JiOrd 



172 



SERMON IX. 



Lord hath assuredly promised, to be with us 
Matth. alway, even unto the end of the world : and to 
xxvm.20. p rocure f or us ano th er Comforter % that he may a- 
John xiv. bide with us for ever. 

On this promise and this Comforter, we still 
rely for such help as is still needful, though not 
such as we might vainly wish : acknowledging 
at the same time that we are as ignorant as we 
are feeble, both beset with danger, and encom- 
passed with doubts. Whoever thinks that good 
Christians should be exempted from error, may 
demand also that they should be delivered from 
pain ; be freed from the debility of childhood, 
the folly of youth, the decays of age ; be creat- 
ed complete in every power, and start up at 
once to the perfection of happiness. 

May we not add, that good men may be led 
by the Spirit of God, and yet they themselves 
not distinguish his holy influence ? and be con- 
ducted safely in the way to heaven, without 
discerning the very hand that guides them ? 
How is this incredible ? 

You believe, all of you, tire Providence of 
God. It is a doctrine even of natural religion. 
Can you distinguish between the acts of God, 
and the course of nature ? What is it that God 
doth ? He doth all. No doubt. He ruleth in 
heaven above, and in the earth beneath. But 
he is invisible to your eyes : nor can you cer- 
2 tainly 



SERMON IX. 



tainly separate, in the transactions that lie be- 
fore you, human weakness from omnipotent 
power ; or draw the precise line in any one 
event, which you now see, between God and 
nature. 

He is ever doing good, and almost ever in a 
manner that exceeds alike our deserts and our 
understanding. His heavenly hand, like the 
hidden spring in a machine, works unseen, yet 
powerfully ; is little in appearance, but in effect 
wonderful. He delivers from dangers we never 
reared, bestows a thousand benefits we know 
not that we wanted. Not a spamow is forgotten 
before God : the very hairs of your head are all 
numbered. In the mean time the original cause 
of all is undiscerned, perhaps, alas ! unthought 
of. He is about my path and about my bed. — 
And yet, Behold I go forward, but he is not p sa j. 
there; ana I backward f , but I cannot perceive him: C T XXX]X \?* 

J ob xxiiL 

on the left hand, where he doth work, but I can- 8, 9, 
not behold him : he hideth himself on the right 
hand, that I cannot see him. 

So is the kvigdoyn of God, as if a man shoidd Mark W. 
cast seed into the ground ; and shoidd sleep and. &e 
rise night and day ; and the seed should spring 
and grow up he knoweth not how : for the earth 
brlngeth forth fruit of herself first the blade, then 
the eai\ after that thefidl com in the ear. And 

when 



174 



SERMON IX, 



wlien trie fruit is brought forth, immediately lie 
putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.-*- 
The seed is the word of God ; the heart of 
man is the ground into which it is cast : if this 
be good, doubt not the care of God ; he will 
Rom. viii. cause it to spring and grow up, though we know 
*k noi ^ otc '' His Spirit, which helpeth our infirmities, 
xxxviii. will shed on it the sweet influences of heaven, 
support and cherish our tender goodness, de- 
fend it from the insects of the earth, and the 
storms above ; the fruit is a life of piety and 
faith, good works and charity, purity and pa- 
tience : when this is brought forth, the sickle is 
in the hand of the angel of death, and the har- 
vest is immortal glory. 

It is certainly both allowable and proper to 
consider the most speculative points, which 
have any relation to religion ; but our attention 
should be much more employed on practical 
subjects, and most of all on practice. If we 
would obey God's commandments more, we 
should, all of us, question his promises less ; 
perhaps understand them better ; certainly be 
more largely partakers of them. 

There are, and will always be, innumerable 
things in the divine government impossible for 
us to comprehend. And as those which are 
more known to us require our thanks and praise ; 
so the former call for other sentiments and dis- 
positions 



SERMON IX. 



positions of mind equally reasonable, — admira- 
tion, submission, trust : and all conspire to de- 
mand the conformity of our lives to the will of 
God. In cases which we understand, we see 
there is great reason for this ; and in those we 
do not, there may be greater. 

When we read of the miracles done by the 
x\postles, and find that in ancient times the 
blind received their sight, the deaf heard, the 
lepers were cleansed, the lame walked, and the 
very dead were raised at the speaking of a 
word ; we are amazed at the powers bestowed 
on the first preachers of the Gospel, and should 
be willing to submit to any degrees of rigour in 
our lives, that ourselves also, if it were now 
possible, might be honoured with the same signal 
endowments. Though we are not so wickedly 
foolish, as to think that the gifts of God can be 
purchased with money ; whatever could procure 
them we should be forward to offer, crying out, 
with that false convert, Give me also this pozcer* 

He that keepetk his commandments dwelkth in 1 John iii 
him, and he in him. Be as good men as the first 24> ' 
preachers of Christianity, keep but with equal 
care the commandments of God, and the same 
Spirit will be, is already, in you which was also 
in them. You cannot work miracles ; but you 
are as dear to your Heavenly Father, as those 
whom he enabled to raise the dead. 

Nay, 



176 



SERMON IX, 



Nay, more ; men may work miracles in sup- 
port of God's true religion, and yet be found at 
last to have been the servants of another mastery 
and the preacher of righteousness be condemn- 
Matt. vii. ed for his sins. Many imU say to me in that day, 
23, 24. Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, 
and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy 
name done many wonderful works ? then will I 
profess unto them, I never knexvyou > depart from 
Lukex. me, ye that work iniquity. In this rejoice, not that 
20 ' the spirits are subject unto you, hut rather rejoice 
i Sam. that your names are written in heaven. To obey 
xv * is better than sacrifice : a good life is above mi- 
racles. 

There will be found among the workers of 
wonders, among apostles, prophets, martyrs, 
who shall be cut off, and cast into outer darkness. 
But of those who love God, and keep his com- 
mandments, not one shall be lost. The obedient 
shall all be received into the state of bliss, and 
be made kings and priests to God, for ever and 
ever. 



SEE* 



SERMON X, 



JUDE, VER. 3. . 

THAT YE SHOULD EARNESTLY CONTEND FOR THE 
FAITH WHICH WAS ONCE DELIVERED TO THE 
SAINTS. 

When the Apostles wer e Jilted xvith the Holy Actsii. 4s 
GJwst, and began to speak with other tongues, as 
tJie Spirit gave them utterance ; the miracle, ac- 
cording to the notion of some writers, was 
wrought upon the audience. Though they that 
spake were Galileans, and spake, too, as these 
persons suppose, the language only of their own 
country ; they were heard by every man in his 
own tongue in which he was born. 

However that maybe, in whatever words the 
newly inspired Apostles might utter the won- 
derful works of God, on the day of Pentecost* 
the doctrine and duties of the Christian cove- 
nant, which they have left behind them in writ- 
ing, are, now at least, in one language, and 
the whole New Testament has been thus de- 
N Hvered 



SERMON X. 



livered down through many ages, and dispersed 
into every nation of the world. And yet, alas ! 
such is the power of education, custom, inte- 
rest, and other causes, that we have deduced a 
great variety of very different opinions and sys- 
tems of faith from one common written word* 
Every church and sect has a sense of its own, 
which it learns to affix to the language of Scrip- 
ture. And though* they that speak to us be all 
Galileans, though there be among them no di- 
versity of speech or disagreement of doctrine ; 
prejudice, it seems, has been able to work 
something like that first great wonder upon us : 
we hear them every man in his own tongue in which 
he was born. 

The opinions which we thus owe to prepos- 
session, we support and patronise with a temper 
as different from that earnestness enjoined by 
the Apostle, as are the tenets, possibly, for 
w r hich we contend, from the faith which was once 
delivered to the saints. 

This spirit steals upon us sometimes almost 
insensibly, and we are in the midst, or at the 
head of a faction, before w r e ourselves are a- 
ware of it. We k*iow not on either side what 
we are doing, but we perceive the distance 
widens, and charity and union are become im- 
practicable. We cast the blame always on our 
adversaries \ and impute to them the division 

that 



SERMON X. 179 

that is so detrimental to us both. We observe 
not the motion of our own vessel y but the shore 
flies from us. 

Sometimes we enter into these factious con- 
tests out of a regard, as we fancy, to religion 
and truth. The cloak of zeal is thrown over., 
and it covers even from our own eyes, often 
indeed from them only, avarice, ambition, vani- 
ty, or resentment. 

When we are moved, therefore, to take upon 
us the execution of these orders of the Apostle 
St Jude, and are going out in our armour in 
this cause of faith ; there are a few cautions we 
may do well to take along with us. 

The first is this, That we be sure it is indeed 

the very faith 'which was once delivered to the 

saints ; no innovation introduced in later days 

by the authority or artifice of men : That we 

erect not on the basis of caprice or interest, a 

towering system of opinions, and call this. The j er .vii.4 

temple of the Lord : The pillar and ground of the 1 Tim - ilu 

T " 15. 

truth. 

In the next place, it would be adviseable that 
our zeal should abate, as the articles of our be- 
lief are muitiplied. Deductions in divinity are 
dangerous. We shall do well to keep the fonn 
of sound icord.s ; but may be more moderate in 
our concern for very ingenious explications of 
them. Be rooted and built up in Christ, and Coloss. it 
N 2 stabUshed 7 > s - 



ISO 



SERMON X. 



stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught ; r 
but beware lest any man spoil you through pMlo- 
sophy and vain deceit, after tJie tradition of men, 
after the rudhnents of the 'world. 

But must not follies be checked as they rise ? 
Can new errors be opposed without new terms? 
Suppose a person assents to the words of the 
gospel, but contradicts the whole meaning of 
it : he allows, for instance, the resurrection, 
but explains it into an allegory, or teaches that 
.2 Tim. ii. it is past already. — I grant it : He overthrows 
Tit ill 10 the faith — A man that is a heretic after tJie first 
and second admonition, reject Yet, remember 
that reserve is the companion of wisdom, and 
the guardian of authority. 
1 Cor, xi. If any man seem to be contentious, we hvae no 
such custom, neither the churches of God. Let 
us refute the erroneous, and repress the arro- 
gant, by the clear testimony of Scripture, and 
by the practice of the first churches ; not en- 
larging our Christian creed into an universal 
body of all philosophy, not deciding in it all 
things that ever have been disputed, not cor- 
rupting it with great swelling words of vanity, 
nor framing continually our faith anew, in con- 
formity to those systems of science, falsely so 
called, which spring up and decay in every age, 
and are succeeded by others, as highly cele- 
brated, and as soon forgotten. 

Our 



SERMON X. 



Our shallow short-lived sophistry is but ill 
suited to that word of God which liveth and a* i Pet. 
bidethfor ever. Being in their nature repug- St>> 
Bant, they cannot be thoroughly united. Like 
the iron and the clay in the feet of Nebuchad- 
nezzar's image, they are materials that will not 
incorporate* Preserve the sacred troths of re- 
ligion, and deliver them down to the latest ages 
unviolated. They need no ornament of our's, 
they will receive none. They are defiled by 
decorations. Thou shalt build the altar of the Dent, 
Lord thy God of whole stones; thou shalt not Ex^i. 
build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy iool% 5 > 
upon it, thou hast polluted it. 

Nor is every thing which is contained in the 
Scripture itself, for this reason, essential to re- 
ligion. In this great store-house of divine 
truths, there are not only vessels of gold and sil- 
ver, but of wood and stone ; some to honour, and 
some, I do not say, to dishonour, but of a rank 
less distinguished. It may be truth, and a 
Scripture truth, for which we contend, and yet 
our zeal may not be well placed. The posses- 
sion must be very valuable which is not dearly 
purchased at the expence of peace. Truth is 
indeed of an awful presence, and must never 
be affronted with the rudeness of direct oppo- 
sition ; yet will she consent for a moment to 
N & pass 



I S3 



SERMON X* 



pass unregarded, while your respects are offer- 
ed to her sister Charity, 

If it be the obscure, the minute, the cere- 
monial part of religion for which we are con- 
tending, though the triumph be empty, the dis- 
pute is dangerous. Like the men of Ai, we 
pursue perhaps some little party that flies be- 
fore us, and are eager that not a straggler may 
escape ; but when w r e look behind, our city is 
in flames. 

On the other hand, but for the same reasons, 
as we should not be forward and urgent in im- 
posing the profession of such articles, or the 
use of such ceremonies, as are not, or are not 
plainly, essential to religion ; so if unreasonable 
men will lay them upon us, we will do all we 
can to content them. We will refuse no bur- 
den for the sake of peace. We will prefer the 
prosperity of the church of Christ before the 
satisfaction of our desires, or the honour of vic- 
tory. Or rather, we will esteem it yet a greater 
pleasure and triumph, to bend to the infirmities 
of the weak, and yield up our own inclination 
and judgement, to the prejudices, or the pas- 
sions, or even the perverseness, of our fellow 
Christians. 

It is a poor argument that is so often brought 
by the disturbers of order, That we are obliged 
to bear our testimony as their phrase is, against 

encroachments. 



SERMON X. 



encroachments. We do it best, by differing as 
far as possible from the spirit of those who make 
them ; by not following their bad example ; nor 
accepting their challenge to quarrel about little 
matters ; by shewing that we value peace more 
than they do. 

An honest man, much more a Christian, may 
not indeed profess any thing contrary to his be- 
lief, or practise any thing against his conscience ; 
but he may join in communion with such as do; 
and the pretence or the hope of better edifica- 
tion, will not always counterbalance the appa- 
rent mischiefs of separation and schism. 

Zeal not only for faith and opinion, but even 
for holiness, if it break out beyond the restraints 
of prudence and charity, changes its name and 
nature, and becomes as much more dangerous 
and culpable than indifference, as the best things 
when corrupted are worse than others. At 
least, if it be still a zeal for God, yet not being 
according to knowledge, as the Scripture speaks, 
being mistaken in its measures, without discre- 
tion itself, and unwilling to submit to the guid- 
ance of any other, the effect and consequence 
may be as bad as if the cause were more crimi- 
nal j and after some interval of time, and the 
regular progress from enthusiasm to hypocrisy^ 
the -end and issue 5 alas ! may be no other than 
N 4 ths 



SERMON X, 



the propagation of that very unbelief and wick- 
edness which at first we intended to root up. 

God, indeed, is not tied to the rules of hu* 
man prudence, but is able to bring light out of 
darkness, and make his own strength most con- 
spicuous in the weakness of his instruments. 
But, setting aside his miraculous interposition x 
which is not hastily to be relied on, or to be 
alledged in our days surely without strange pre- 
sumption, as the learned only can be supposed 
to instruct, so none but the magistrate must be 
allowed to govern. And this regular subordi- 
nation must take place in the Christian, as well 
as every other community, if we are truly de- 
sirous of its prosperity and continuance. 

Severe he might be, and rigorous, but he was 
a wise commander, and a true lover of his coun- 
try, who put his own son to death, for fighting 
in opposition to his orders, though he brought 
back with him in his hand the head of an enemy , 
But beside the danger and mischief, these 
loose disorderly efforts of self-willed and sepa- 
rate adventurers, however more violent and ob- 
servable, yet in effect and force are not to be 
compared to the impressions of a compact, well 
governed, and obedient body ; like the Grecian 
phalanx, as it is described by the poet # , still 
h . . . 3 • 1 p$ 

* ^ e-<y*j pmct irnUvli? hyj&iUy 



SERMON X. 



185 



and steady ; silent, but yet resolute ; ardent 
without clamour, and active without confusion, 
A good man chooses indeed to err rather on 
the side of charity ; or else, we are too favour- 
able in our concessions, when we allow that 
those persons who thus break loose from the 
reins and order of government, are actuated 
always by pious views, and a well-meaning en- 
thusiasm. We know, at least, the time has 
been, when under a conduct not unlike to 
theirs, and the same professions, have been con- 
cealed the most malignant and dangerous de- 
signs. The demure hypocrite, with all his cant, 
has been at last detected : notwithstanding his 
furious preaching of a sublimer piety, and a yet 
more thorough reformation, his venom has been 
discovered ; and the sectary, touched with 
Ithuriel's spear, starts up into 9. Jesuit. 

That church, whose earnestness indeed in 
this contention can never be denied, has yet, 
we think, in other respects, been highly cul- 
pable, and may serve, in conclusion, for an ex- 
ample of the violation of all the rules and cau- 
tions now expressed or insinuated. A system 
of faith too large and voluminous, in some parts 
injurious to religion and virtue, in many not 
true, in others not certain, or not important 5 
they yet maintain, impose, and propagate, with 
a violence and tvranny which no faith or truths 

whatever 



SERMON X. 



whatever are sufficient to justify, and by arts 
which are condemned by ali the principles of 

morality. 

There is one way, however, by which we are 
always at liberty, both laity and clergy, to plead 
for our own principles, and recommend that 
system of faith and form of worship which we 
embrace, whatever it be, to the acceptance of 
mankind : a way which is likely to be the most 
effectual of any, and is liable to none of those 
objections which are with so much reason alled- 
ged against many other methods of making pro- 
selytes. It is such a method of converting 
others, as will be sure at least to have a good 
effect upon ourselves ; and will neither expose 
us to the censure of obstinacy and schism on 
the one hand, nor of injustice and persecution 
on the other,. .In short, it is the practice of 
virtue, the conscientious discharge of those du- 
ties, and the cultivation of those graces, which 
are enjoined by the universal and acknowledged 
principles of morality, and recommended by 
every profession of religion. Reverence, resig- 
nation, gratitude to the Supreme Being ; re- 
spect and tenderness, as well as justice and fi- 
delity, to mankind ; moderation, self-govern- 
ment, sobriety ; these things will probably re- 
commend our belief to men, ourselves most 
certainly through the mediation of Christ, to 

the 



SERMON X. 



187 



the mercy of our Maker. 'Tis thus we may best 
adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour, widen Tit.iLio. 
the pales of his church, and strengthen his do- 
minion. In this way we may all be preachers 
of righteousness, a nation of priests. 

There is no danger, in our days, in the pro- 
fession of religion ; and the dishonour is yet 
perhaps on the side of infidelity. So much the 
more let us bend our endeavours to practice, 
the only point that has in it any difficulty, or 
much distinction. Let us preserve the profes- 
sion of a pure faith, in charity ; have zeal with- 
out fierceness, and meekness without fear; 
speaking the truth in love, and adding to our Ephes.iv, 
faith virtue, be not unfruitful in the knowledge of ^ . ; 
our Lord Jesus Christ. 

To whom, with the Father and the Holy 
Spirit, be glory and majesty*, dominion and 
power, now and for ever. 



?ER- 



SERMON XL 



LUKE v. 20. 

MAN, THY SINS ARE FORGIVEN THEEo 

Who can forgive sins but God alone ? said Luke v. 
the Jews in wonder to each other, when they 21 * 
saw the Saviour of the world, who had sq often 
eured their bodily diseases, undertaking to re- 
move the severer maladies of the mind, and to Luke nr. 
heal the broken-hearted* 

It is true, God is both Lawgiver and Judge : 
"who art thou that judgest another man's servant ? 
to his own master he standeth or falletlu The Rom. xb? 
conscience of every man, accusing or acquitting 4s 
him as he behaves, is God's voice within. It 
delivers the dictates of that reason which he 
hath imparted, the suggestions of those prin« 
ciples he hath implanted, in his name, and with 
his authority. When we act contrary to his di* 
rections, we know that we do wrong, that we 
violate t$ie law of him who made us, and deserve 

- % ■ 



190 SERMON XL 

a punishment which no power on earth can re- 
mit. Kings and magistrates, who dispense jus- 
tice or mercy to all others, according to their 
own pleasure, are yet themselves subject to the 
controul of this inward monitor ; and while the 
Actsxxiv. prisoner reasons of righteousness, temperance? 
and judgement to come, the guilty judge trembles. 

Whatever be the nature of our crimes, whe- 
ther they be violations of temperance, justice, 
or humanity, they are all offences against God. 
Psal.li. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, God. It was 
murder this penitent sinner had committed ; 
lb. 4. yet he cries, Against thee, thee only have I sinned, 
and done this evil in thy sight. 

Yet was our Lord guilty of no blasphemy, 
Lukexxv. when either to the poor paralytic, who was 
& alib ' let down into his presence through the roof, 
Lukevii. or to that contrite woman, who washed his 
feet with her tears, and WTped them with 
the hairs of her head, he vouchsafed to pro- 
Luke v. nounce those comfortable words, Thy sins are 
forgiven. The Son of Man had power upon 
earth to forgive sins. He was invested with his 
Father's authority, was himself God, as well a r > 
Man ; the Maker and Governor of the world. 
John i. 3. All things were made by him ; and without him 
Wja$ not any thing made, that was made. When 
he came into the world, he came unto his own. 
Job n i. I ].* though his oxvn received him not. 



SERMON XL. 



391 



Nay, liis Apostles, authorised by liis commis- 
sion, guided by his Spirit, and girt with his 
power, they too, while here on earth, could for- 
give sins. As my Father hath sent me, even so John xs. 
send 1 you. And when he had said this, he 
breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye 
Hie Holy Ghost. Whose soever sins ye remit, 
they are remitted unto them ; and whose soever 
sins ye retain, they are retained. 

The authority thus received they exercised 
often in acts of mercy ; giving health to the 
sick, feet to the lame, and, like their Lord, 
loosing from their infirmities those whom Satan 
had bound for many years : sometimes in acts 
of judgement ; 'How is it that ye have agreed to- Acts v. & 
gether to tempt the Spirit of the Lord ? Behold 
the feet cf them which have buried thy husband are 
at the door, and shall carry thee out Then fell 
she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up 
the ghost. 

Paid, filed with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on Acts xill 
him, and said, O full of all sub til ty and all mis- 9 ° 
chief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all 
righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the 
right ways of the Lord ? The hand of the Lord is 
upon thee.— And there fell on him a mist and 
darkness, and he went about seeking some to lead 
him by the hand. 

The! which remains of this authority in the 

church* 



192 



SERMON XL 



church, if it may be called by the same name ? 
being stripped of its miraculous power to dis- 
cern the innocent from the guilty, to inflict 
judgements from heaven, or to deliver from 
them, must be content to exert itself within 
much narrower limits. It is the power which 
belongs to every society, and to the Christian 
as well as others, of excluding the unworthy, 
and receiving back the penitent. And this 
branch of his authority the Apostle Paul him- 
self was willing to execute in conjunction with 
2 Cor. ii. his own disciples. Sufficient to such a man is this 
punishment which xvas inflicted of many. Wherefore 
I beseech you that ye would confirm your love 
towards him. To whom ye forgive any thing, I 
forgive also. 

The ministers of Christ now can only declare 
to you the terms on which God will forgive sin, 
and these they must deliver as they find them 
in the gospel* 

The light of nature suggests no certain way of 
obtaining the forgiveness of sin. The offender 
may be sorry for his past misconduct, and amend 
his life ; but this is not to be innocent, but pe- 
nitent. 

Did we not receive all our ability to do well 
from God's bounty ? If then we had employed 
it in all things according to his will, where had 
been our merit, or his obligations ? Having not 

exceeded 



SERMON XL 



exceeded the strict demands of justice, we might 
truly style ourselves unprofitable servants , who Luke vii. 
had done that which was our duty to do ; and no- 10 * 
thing more. We had only not offended, and 
therefore could assume to ourselves but this 
part of praise, to be free from censure ; and lay 
claim to no greater reward, than that of escap- 
ing punishment. 

But alas! we must relinquish even this pre- 
tension ; and be obliged to own, that of all the 
gifts of God to man, there is none more suitable 
to a sinner than forgiveness. 

And God will forgive *, he is disposed, and 
hath promised to do so. Some experience of 
his mercy we have at present. It is he who 
supplies our wants ; and does he not also bear 
with our offences ? How often doth he spare, 
when we deserve punishment ? how often in 
wrath remember mercy ? 

In the revelations which he hath been pleased 
to make to mankind, Almighty God hath pub- 
lished the charter of his mercy more explicitly. 
Even to the Jews he proclaimed his own title, 
The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, Exod. 
long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth. XXX1V * 6 - 

But it is the Christian religion which exhibits 
the most ample display of the divine mercy, 
whether we consider the extent of it, or the 
manner of dispensing it. Go ye into all the Markxvi. 

O world, 15 > 1 ^ 



SERMON XI. 



world, and preach the gospel to every creature : 
he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. 
Acts xiii. By him all that believe are justified from all things , 
from which ye could not be justified by the law 
of Moses. 

But the method in which this great mercy is 
conveyed, recommends it beyond any other 
even of the divine benefactions ; and is indeed 
astonishing. We thank God for our creation, 
preservation, and support. We do well. They 
are benefits we have not deserved, and can 
never repay. But these blessings, however im- 
portant to us, are yet, if you will overlook both 
the freedom of the language and the meanness 
of it, no eocpence to him. To make a world, to 
God is no more than to utter his command. 

Ps.xxxiii. He spake, and it was done : let there be light ; 

r" • o and there was li^ht. 

ij-en. 1. 3. o 

To recover men, when fallen by their own 
disobedience into a state of sin and misery, this 
appears to have been a task of a very different 
nature, more difficult to be accomplished, and 
requiring, I had almost said, ail the efforts of 
Omnipotence. 

For consider in what terms it is represented 
John Hi. to us. So God loved the world, that he gave his 
Eph i 6. on l]/-begotien Son. He hath made us accepted in 
the Beloved ; in whom we have redemption through 
Bom.vi'ii. y is Uq 0( j^ Jj e spared not his own Son, but deli- 
vered 



SERMON XI. _ 19 

vered him up for us all. And the San himself 
Was willing to be thus given for us. I lay doxvn John x. 
my life for the sheep ; No man taketh it from me ; D ' 
but I lay it down of myself Greater love hath John xv. 

1 3 

no man than this, that a man lay down his life 
for his friends. Christ hath loved us, and hath Eph. v, 2 
given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to 
God. 

Some allowance we might expect, for the 
many infirmities of our nature, and the perpe- 
tual and imminent danger of our situation, from 
a God of equity and goodness, himself the Au- 
thor of our being, the Maker and Governor of 
the world * but to what number or decree of 
transgressions his mercy might extend, or what 
measure of woe we might be required to ex- 
haust, before the cup of his wrath would be 
turned away from us, could be determined by 
no deductions of human reason. He offers us 
the forgiveness of every sin ; and lays the weight 
of punishment upon the head of his Son. 

Yet extensive as this offer is, however won- 
derful this love, in one respect they are limited. 
There are yet conditions to be performed on 
our part, to make us proper objects of this 
abundant grace : and after all the overflowings 
of the divine goodness, witlioiit/u///* and repent- 
ance, we cannot be partakers of it. It is true, 
So God loved the world, that he gave his only-be- u t supra. 

O 2 gotten 



196 



SERMON XI. 



gotten Son ; but why ? to the end that all that 
believe in him should not perish. Our Lord did 
ut supra. sa y 5 Greater love hath no man than this, that a 
man lay down his life for his friends ; but how ? 
ye are my friends, if ye do "whatsoever I command 
you. What was the gospel that St Paul preach- 
Acts xx. ed ? / kept back nothing that was prof table unto 
*°' 21 ' V ou > but have shewed you, and have taught you 
publicly, and Jrom house to house ; testifying both 
to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance 
toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus 
Christ 

Receive therefore the tender of mercy with 
humble gratitude : be sensible that you want it, 
and thankfully comply with the conditions God 
hath been pleased to annex to it. Neither 
doubt his goodness, nor dispute his authority. 
Believe what he teaches, obey what he com- 
mands. If he has provided an atonement for 
you, it is because you wanted it, and you may 
Ps. ii. 12. be sure he is ready to accept it. Kiss the Son, 
lest he be angry, and so ye perish from the right 
way, if his wrath be kindled, yea, but a little. 

You will not, even under the gospel, perform 
an unsinning obedience, or arrive at absolute 
perfection ; but you will aspire after it, and 
draw nearer towards it, making continual ad- 
vances in piety and goodness. You will suffer 
no sin to have dominion over you, no graces or 
virtues to be strangers to you. 

You 



SERMON XL 



197 



You have not beheld the glory of the only-be- 
gotten of the Father ; full of grace and truth, per- 
forming miracles of mercy for the salvation of 
mankind, and cannot therefore be guilty of as- 
cribing those wonders of divine love, of which 
yourselves have been witnesses, to the powers 
of darkness. But, to exhort you in the Apostle's 
words, Take heed, brethren, lest there be ir a ny Heb, Hi. 
of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from l2 > 13 ' 
the living God, and lest any of you be hardened 
through the deceitfulness of sin. If we sin ml* 
fidly, after that we have received the knowledge of 
the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for 
sins ; but a certain fearful looking for of judge- 
ment, and fiery indignation. 

Alas ! the very grace of God itself, and the 
offer of mercy through his Son, may prove per- 
nicious to us ; and turn, if we will have it so, to 
our greater condemnation. Forgiveness repuls- 
ed will return in vengeance : the blood of Christ, 
if it be trampled under our feet, will speak but 
the same things with that of Abel, and the voice Heb. xil. 
of it cry out against us. Not only the judge- Q 4 e * n . 
ments of God are to be feared \ his very mer- 20. 
cies are awful, and every blessing has an edge 

with which it can wound. It had been better not 2 Pet. il 

21. 

to have known the way of righteousness, than after 
they have known it, to turn from the holy command- 
ment delivered unto them. — Behold thou art made 

xiv» 

whole, sin no more, lest a worse thing some unto thee. 

O 3 S E R. 



SERMON XXL 



1 COR. xv. 35. 

BUT SOME MAN WILL SAY, HOW ARE THE DEAD 
RAISED UP ? AND WITH WHAT BODY DO THEY 
COME ? 

Philosophers and the vulgar, Pagans and 
Christians, have distinguished between the soul 
and body of man. By the light of nature alone, 
men have been enabled to look through the dark 
earthly tabernacle with which the human mind 
is encompassed, and discern the spiritual in- 
habitant within. Who does not see that such 
life and activity, such an extent and vigour of 
imagination, such clearness and penetration of 
reason, and such earnest aspirations after virtue 
and immortality, can never be the genuine pro- 
perties of that heavy clod which cleaves so close 
to the earth, and sinks into it so soon ; and that 
these gross corporeal organs are but slaves in 
the service, or rather instruments in the hand 
of a much nobler Being ! 

O 4 This 



200 



SERMON XII. 



This distinction is also clearly taught in Scrip- 
Matt, x. ture. Fear not them that Mil the body, but are 
not able to kill the soul ; but rather fear him which 
is able to destroy both soul and body in Jiell. The 
body of our Lord himself was not raised out of 
the grave till the third day ; yet when one of 
the two malefactors who suffered with him, as 
Luke he was hanging upon the cross, said unto Jesus, 
xxm. 42, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy 
kingdom, Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto 
thee, to-day shalt thou be with me in paradise. 

Now, some powers of the human mind or 
soul seem to be exerted with less dependance 
on the body than others, the intercourse between 
these two partners being either not uniform, or 
not always alike observable. The strength of 
the understanding is by no means proportioned 
to that of the limbs. A person of very weak 
intellects, may be happy in a robust and vigo- 
rous habit of body \ and, on the other hand, 
the highest mental endowments, the brightest 
wit, the richest fancy, the soundest judgement, 
now and then make what amends they can for 
an infirm and sickly constitution. 

Considerable members of the body may be 
taken away, the greatest part of it by gradual 
decay be • lost, or even the whole by degrees 
changed, without any apparent alteration in the 
power of the mind. Men have shewn as much 

clearness 



SERMON XXL 

clearness of apprehension, and sensibility of 
heart, in their last moments, as in any part of 
their lives. And tracing the soul in its passage 
to the very confines of the other world, some- 
times we can discern no diminution in its capa- 
city or feeling $ but it seems to go into the un- 
known state with its passions in their full 
strength, and every faculty in perfection. 

Yet, at other times, and in many instances f 
on the contrary, the mind appears to exert it- 
self with less freedom, and gives signs of a 
closer connection with her earthly companion. 
She seems to sympathise with the body in every 
the least disorder and infirmity ; tasting no 
pleasure by reason of the other's complaints, 
and drooping under weaknesses not her own 
The very use of her reason is interrupted and 
lost ; she becomes melancholy or distracted by 
the least violence done to the minute parts of 
the corporeal system ; by the vapour of a plant* 
by the touch of an insect, by the discomposure, 
it may be, of some portion of our frame, even 
too small for human discernment. 

So wonderful is the union between the soul 
and body of man ; so important, and yet incom- 
prehensible : in its hidden nature utterly beyond 
all our reach ; and even in the external appear- 
ances, various, irregular, and contradictory a 

Even sleep itself, however the matter of con- 
tinually 



SERMON XIL 



tinually repeated and universal experience, is 
found to be a subject that baffles all our philo- 
sophy. Insomuch, that some speculative men 
have not been able to satisfy themselves on this 
bead, without recourse to what is little less than 
miraculous; ascribing the perceptions in our 
repose to the nocturnal visits and illusive opera* 
tions of spiritual beings unseen and innumerable. 

Blessed Lord ! How little do we know of thy 
works ! of those parts of them with which we 
are most conversant 1 How blindly do we con- 
jecture ; how vainly err! Well may we be ig- 
norant of thy infinite essence, since our own 
frame escapes our knowledge, and we are stran- 
gers even to ourselves. Overspread with such 
darkness, we look to the revelation of thy word, 
and rejoice in that heavenly light, resigning 
ourselves entirely to thee ; our head and heart ; 
our conduct to thy command, our understand- 
ing to thy illumination. We are wholly thine, 
both body and soul ; in the hands of thy mercy. 
Father, in every stage of our existence : while 
we dwell first in this house of clay ; next when 
w T e shall enter, as we shall quickly, unclothed 
into the world of spirits *, and lastly, when the 
%\vo parts of us, after a long, perhaps, and un- 
known state of separation, shall be finally re- 
united, never to be divided more. 

Still, curiosity will be prying into mysteries : 

Some 



SERMON XII. 



203 



Some man will say, How are the dead raised up ? 
and with what body do they come ? Thou Jool : 
fool, not for wanting ability to answer these 
questions, but for being weak enough to pro- 
pose them. That which thou sowest is not quick- 
ened except it die. Grain thrown into the ground 
cannot spring up again without losing its pre- 
sent form and contexture. By dissolution only 
must it be quickened into a new and more a- 
bundant life, yielding some thirty, some sixty, Mark iv. 
and some an hundredfold. 83 20 * 

With what body do they come ? It is in his 
power w T ho made all things, to assign to each 
what body he will ; yet, you see, he gives to 1 Cor. xv. 
every seed its own. A grain of wheat doth not 20 ' 
spring up into barley. If God so clothe the grass Matth. vi e 
of the field, shall he not much more clothe you, O x -. 
ye of little faith? Trust him ; at least where you 28. 
can do nothing for yourselves, or if you could, 
would do harm. You, it is likely, would be for 
preserving the life which you now live in the flesh, Gal.ii.2i. 
and keeping the bodies of which you are already 
in possession. Death, whenever it comes, is 
generally an unwelcome guest ; admitted, be- 
cause he will not be put back. And yet this 
death, or a change equivalent to it, is the only 
means now, at least since the fall, by which 011? 
dying bodies can be advanced to their due per- 
fection a 



SERMON XIL 



fection, and be made partakers, with the soul, 
of immortal life. 

We find all kinds of animals fitted for the 
station they are placed in, and the duration in- 
tended for them. Fish, fowl, beasts, insects, 
have all bodies with organs accommodated to 
their several degrees of perception and action. 
The case is the same, we see, with man, in the 
present world ; and if it is revealed that we 
shall have bodies also in the world to come, we 
may be sure, it is because we shall want them ; 
and that they will be such as we shall want. 

} Cor, xv. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of 
God, Is it a wonder that this feeble, perishable 
frame, should be found unfit for an incorrup- 
tible and eternal state ? an earthly fabric for the 
heavenly city ? 

ffe. 40. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies ter- 
restrial. Some animals on earth, not to say all, 
at a certain period, pass forward into a state ex- 
tremely different from that which was first as- 
signed them. But the frame of their body is 
altered to suit with the intended removal ; and 
it now as much requires the air 9 suppose, or the 
water, as before it was averse from it. They 
cannot subsist at all but in the very element 
which, a very short time before, would have 
destroyed them in a moment. The human 
me itself, among the rest, undergoes one 

such 



SERMON XII. 



£05 



such change even here : How is it incredible, 
then, that when man shall be removed into yet 
another world, he shall want, and shall be sup- 
plied with a celestial body, as different from the 
earthly as the place of its residence, or the na- 
ture of its occupations ? 

Our Saviour indeed speaks of the resurrec- Luke xs, 
tion, as a person might be expected to do con- ' 
cerning a future state in general. His Apostle 
Paul does the same, in some parts even of this 
very chapter where he takes so much pains to 
establish the doctrine of the resurrection, and 
to silence objections against it. The great 
point no doubt in which we are concerned, is, 
whether death will be the end of us, or whether 
we shall live after it : and if we shall, whether 
our future condition may be affected by any 
thing which it is now in our power to do. If 
it be sufficiently made known that we shall thus 
live after death, whether in the body, or out ofoc QV ^ 
the body, it might suffice that God knoweth. 2. 
However, he hath been pleased to reveal to us, 
in some degree, even this point also. Not only 
our natural hopes of a future life are confirmed 5 
we are also taught that we shall be again cloth- 
ed with bodies suitable to that heavenly state, 
and that we shall die no more. 

Happy for us, if any principle or doctrine of 
natural or revealed religion, any expectation, or 

any 



206 



SERMON Kit 



any reason whatever, have influence enough t& 
induce us to live well, the little time we do live 
here on earth ; if regard to our present or fu- 
ture welfare, if the fear or love of God, if re- 
verence to our souls, created after his image, 
and by their birth immortal, or respect to our 
very bodies, which shall be made so, or any 
other argument, prevail with us to do that 
which is right, well pleasing to our Maker, and 

2 Pet. i. 4. approved by our own conscience, and to escape 
the corruption that is in the world. 

1 Cor. vi« God made us, both soul and body ; therefore 

20 * glorify him both in your body, and in your spirit, 
which are God's. But he not only made-, he pre- 

Ps.Ixvi. 9. serves us also ; he holdeth our souls in life ; he 
sustains our corporeal frame ; he feeds, and 
clothes, and protects us. All our care can add 
nothing to our stature, and little to the length 

Ps. xlviii. of our days ; but he will be our guide both unto 
death, and beyond it, and suffer no part of us 

Matth.x. *° Parish. Our souls are in his hand, the hairs 

3 - of our head are numbered by him. The life 

which he has given, or rather one infinitely 
more glorious both in soul and body, if we will 
accept of it, he promises to restore, and to con* 
tinue for ever. 

i*s,viii.4. Lord, what is man, that thou art mindfid of 
him ; or the son of man, that thou thus visitest 
him ? What thanks, what service shall we pay 

thee 



SERMON XII. m 

thee for thy unbounded goodness ? This poor 
perishable life, if we give it wholly to thee, is 
a small return for thy mercies, and is already 
thine. In that future state, which thou art 
pleased to promise, let us continue to be em- 
ployed in the performance of thy commands. 
All thy blessings, even the light of thy counte- PsJxxx^ 
nance in heaven itself, will leave our happiness lo * 
imperfect, if we are not permitted to tender to 
thee some tribute of our thankful hearts, and 
gratify the ardour of our affection. 

Thy mercies are innumerable and infinite, 
and our obedience and praises, though they add 
nothing to thine honour, will yet, we trust, for 
our sake, be suffered to approach thee to all 
eternity. Complete all thy kindness, in admit- 
ting our little service, and fill up the whole 
measure of our bliss, by receiving from us a 
drop into the ocean of thy felicity and glorv ! 



SEE- 



SERMON Mil 



23. 



MATTH. xxv. 46* 

AND THESE SHALL GO AWAY INTO EVERLASTING 
PUNISHMENT, BUT THE RIGHTEOUS INTO LIFE 
ETERNAL. 

When the Lord formed man upon the earth, 

and breathed into his nostrils the breath of 'life , he Wisd. 

created him to be immortal, and made Mm to be 

an image of his own eternity. 

From this happy immortality, Man, by his 

transgression, fell into a state of misery, and 

death. For God made not death ; but ungodly Wisd. - u 

men by their works, and words, called it to them. ' 

Or rather, By one man sin entered into the world, Horn, v* 

1.9 ■ 

and death by sin : and so death passed upon all 
men ; and reigned even over them that had not ver. \L 
sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgres- 
sion* 

If our first parents, upon their disobedience^ 
bad been punished with immediate death, they " 

F had 



210 



SERMON Xllf. 



had suffered only what they too justly de- 
served ; and their posterity had, in that case, 
been nothing ; no matter of dispute, no objects 
of injustice or of favour ; but classed among the 
innumerable tribe of possibilities, without being. 
However, Almighty God w r as pleased, in the 
overflowings of his goodness, to suspend that 
sentence of death which he had pronounced, till 
a race of men were born into the w r orld, such as 
could proceed from such parents, fallen from 
their uprightness, and driven out from the hap- 
piness of Paradise, and from the tree of Life, 
into a state full of trouble and temptation, of 
diseases, and death. 

Can we help reflecting here, as we pass along, 
on the destructive nature of sin ? how ruinous in 
its effects both to ourselves and all around us ! 
how bitter even when tempered with mercy; and 
dreadful, though disarmed of half its terrors! 

Still further ; it pleased the Supreme lea- 
ther, in the depth of his unsearchable wisdom 
and love, to provide for us a Deliverer from the 
power of this death which passeth upon all men ; 
and by the death and resurrection of his dear 
Son, to open once again to us the gates of life, 
and restore us to that immortality* both in 
body and soul, for which he had created us; 
Matth. Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the ling- 
xxv. s. u j Qm p r€ p arec j jQ r y 0U f rom the foundation of thz 

world. 



SERMON XIIL 



211 



World. As in Adam all die, even so in Christ 1 Cor. xv 
shall all be made alive. The trumpet shall sound, ^ 50 
and the dead shall be raised incorruptible. Neither Luke xx, 
can theij die any more * for they are equal unto 
the angels ; and are the children of God, being the 
children of the resurrection . 

Good men, under every dispensation of reli- 
gion, considering how full of trouble the world 
is, and to how great a degree the comforts and 
blessings of it are dispersed promiscuously, have 
encouraged themselves with the hopes of a fu- 
ture recompence, and the prospect of a better Hebr { 
country, that is, an heavenly. The Christian re- 
ligion, you see, both confirms. the expectations, ' 
and enlarges them ; assuring us that all good 
persons shall be made glorious and happy, both 
in body and soul, with God to all eternity. 

This article of our faith, in the first place, is 
to be received with the most profound thank- 
fulness to the great Author of our- being, who 
created us at first for happiness, and perseveres 
through a course of such astonishing measures, 
to bring us at last to the possession of it ; who 
being exalted in his own nature to the height 
of bliss and glory, could have no views towards 
himself in any thing he hath done for us ; and 
yet has created the earth for our accommoda- 
tion, given his dearly beloved Son for our re- 
demption, and prepared his own heaven for our 

p 2 k a ppy 



212 



SERMON XIII. 



Ps.viii.4. happy habitation for ever. Lord, what is man, 
Hebi. u. t j iat t j lQU art m i ?lc 7ji l i qfhiin p am i fj ie Son of man, 

that thou visitest him ? Thou modest him lower 
than the Angels, to crown him with glory and 
honour. 

Secondly, This doctrine of life everlasting is 
the greatest spur to obedience and the practice 
of virtue, not only out of love and thankfulness 
to our Divine Benefactor, but out of regard to 
our own interest. The richer the reward, the 
more it deserves our assiduous and earnest en- 

Phil.iii. deavours. Shall we not press toward the marl 
for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ 
Jesus, when we reflect that in value it exceeds 

i Cor. ii. all that eye hath seen, or ear heard, or that hath 
entered into the heart of man, and hath besides 
this transcendent excellence, that, like the giv- 

Psal. er's mercy, it endureth for ever ? The possessions 

uxxu ' or distinctions of this vain world in their nature 
can never satisfy, and drop from us as fast as we 
obtain them, at the latest with this short life, 
and many of them much sooner : but the hea= 
venly bliss continues unfading to eternity; and 
after the revolution of endless, endless ages, is 
but still beginning. How should we despise 
the empty pomp, the idle bustle, the little great- 

Eph. i. ness of this poor transient state, were the eyes 
of our understcuiding, by God's grace, enlighten- 
ed, to fcnow what is the hope of his calling, and 

what 



SERMON XIII. 



213 



what the riches of the glory of his inheritance ! 
The wise merchant, having found this one pearl Matth. 
of great price, sells all that he hath, and buys ^' tt £ " 
it; gladly sacrificing ease, pleasure, profit, what- xiii. 44, 
ever is most dear and valuable, and life itself, 
and esteeming all as nothing, when compared 
w 7 ith an Eternity of Happiness : a recompence 
infinitely too great for any services of ours, were 
they ever so perfect ; but not too great for God's 
bounty, and the merit of his dear Son. The 
gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ R om . v i 
our Lord. 23 - 

But wiiile with so much delight and triumph 
we have respect unto the recompence of the reward; Hebr. xi. 
we must suffer ourselves also to be reminded of 
the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous Rom.ii.s. 
judgement of God. Were religion made up of 
promises only, it would meet with a readier ac- 
ceptance ; but in reality would be much less a- 
greeable to the dictates of unprejiidised reason, 
and the suggestions of human experience. 

Guilt deserves punishment. This w r e know, 
every one of us ; and are certain of it, by our 
own consciousness. Difficulties indeed may be 
raised concerning the degree of punishment, the 
province of mercy, the efficacy of repentance ; 
but the thing itself is unquestionable ; and 
though we should deny, we cannot doubt it. 

Ifl then, the Justice of God will not permit 
P 3 him 



21± SERMON XIII. 

him to let incorrigible wickedness pass finally 
without punishment ; what period may be put 
to it by this, or any other attribute of his na- 
ture, by his universal Rectitude, his infinite 
Wisdom, his boundless Goodness, must be far 
beyond the reach of our abilities to determine ; 
or whether those who have obstinately refused 
all the offers of the divine mercy on earth, may 
not continue to be wicked, and to be miserable 
for ever. 

Our own experience, in this life, how vastly, 
beyond all proportion, the natural punishment 
of crimes can sometimes exceed all the profit or 
pleasure that w r as obtained by them, may give 
us the most awakening intimations of what is 
possible: and the declarations of Scripture have 
raised these apprehensions into certainty, in a 
manner, I fear, equally decisive and awful. 
Mark ix. It is better for thee to enter into life maimed, 
43 -> 44 - than having two hands, to go into hell, into the 
jire that never shall be quenched: Where their 
worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 
Lev. xiv. They shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, 
10, 11. which is poured out without mixture into the cup of 
his indignation : they shall be tormented with fire 
and brimstone, and the smoke of their torment 
ascendeth up for ever and ever, 
Matth. I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat : I 

4s' ^ aS ti ltrs ty> an ^ y e 8 a ^ e me 710 drink. Depart 

from 



SERMON XII*. 



215 



from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared 
for the devil and his angels. We would gladly 
make a distinction between the eternity allotted 
to the happy, and that to which the wicked shall 
be condemned: but there appears no ground 
for it in holy Scripture. These shall go away 
into everlasting punishment ; but the righteous in- 
to life eternal, Eternal and everlasting are but 
two different translations of one and the same 
word in the original. 

See, therefore, to apply the exhortation of 
Moses in the amplest extent, in that I command Deut. 
thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in 1%>J 
his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his 
statutes, and his judgements j I have set before 
thee life and good, and death and evil. I call 
heaven and earth to record against you, that I have 
set before you life and death ; life, not that poor 
perishing thing, here on earth called life, of 
threescore years and ten, which at best is full of Ps.xc.io. 
trouble, and is brought to an end, as it were a ver * 9% 
tale that is told : but a life of immortality and 
happiness ; a life not terminated by death, nor 
invaded by debility and age ; and a happiness 
unalloyed by pain or sorrow, and enduring for 
ever and ever: and death; not like that here 
below, which puts an end to all the sufferings of 
this mortal state, but rather a life of everlasting 
misery ; not the extinction of a wicked and 
P 4 wretched 



216 



SERMON XIII. 



wretched existence, but a birth into a new be* 
ing of complete and never-ending woe ; of guilt 
jmbittered by remorse without repentance; of en* 
yy at the sight of that celestial bliss possessed by 
the once unpitied poor, now separated from us 
by a gulf impassable ; of malice against the gra- 
cious Being, whose mercy waited for us so long, 

Xukexix. but is now hid for ever from our eyes ; and of 
mad rage, the only passion to be gratified in hell^ 
against the tempter and accomplices of our 
crimes, the companions now and partakers of 
our punishment, permitted by God's justice to 
satisfy their mutual resentment, and execute 
his just judgements on each other. 

Jude 6* The Angels which kept not their jirst estate, hut 
left their own habitation, he hath reserved in ever- 
lasting chains, under darkness, unto the judgement 
of the great day. They fell once, and fell for 
ever. To poor fallen man there is mercy offered, 
would he but accept of it, unless Christ hath 

Hebr. ii. died in vain. For verily he took not on him the 
nature of angels ; hut he took pn him the seed of 
Abraham, The greater the mercy, the more 
terrible will be the vengeance. Let it not be 
in vain, that God waits yet with patience for 
your repentance, and offers you the atonement 
of his dear Son. Think not that he lies in wait 
to catch at your transgressions, and seize upon 
the first little slip you make, in the midst of in- 
numerable 



SE RMON XIII. 217 

numerable snares, to deliver you up to this eter-' 
na! torment. Did he desire your perdition, 
could he not destroy you in a moment ? It is 
because he wishes most truly for your happiness, 
that he has given his only Beloved, to become 
a man as you are, to prevail with you to amend 
your life ; and to bear the punishment for you 
of all that you have hitherto done amiss. 

Let this suffice. Embrace the offer of life ; 
fly from the wrath to come. You know not 
the plan of infinite government, what the order 
of God's universe admits, what Eternal Wisdom 
counsels, or supreme rectitude requires. Say 
not within yourselves, If he desires that I should 
be happy i he can make me so. He can do eveiy 
thing that is right and fit to be done ; and no- 
thing more. He desires you to be happy, and 
/tis therefore he does so much, and, for any 
thing you know, all he can do, to effect it. He 
is your Friend and your Father: but, in this 
respect, like your parents upon earth, he can 
only lament over your calamities, if you resist 
his goodness, and are resolved to perish in spite 
of all the efforts of Omnipotence. 

For your own sake, and for the sake of those 
who love you, not only on earth, but above, the 
blessed angels, the Holy Trinity, return to your- 
self, to a sound mind, to the exercise of piety, 
and the practice of all virtue: there is joy in Lukexv, 
heaven over one sinner that repenttilu 7. 

SEIU 



SERMON XIV, 



2 TIM. ii. 19. 

LET EVERY ONE THAT NAMETH THE NAME OF 
CHRIST, DEFART FROM INIQUITY. 

There is no person, of what persuasion so^ 
ever in religion, but has cogent reasons to dis- 
suade him from a vicious course of life, and en- 
gage him in the practice of virtue. Even the Ps. xiv.i. 
fool that hath said in his heart, or with his lips, 
there is no God, yet must own that there are at 
least Rulers upon the earth, who are not a ter- Rom.xiil 
ror to good works, hut to the evil, and who bear ° 3 4 ° 
not always the sword in vain; that health attends 
on temperance, security on justice, honour on 
generosity ; and that great degrees of the oppo- 
site vices, as they are universally either con- 
temptible or odious, so they are commonly full 
as detrimental to the guilty person, as to any of 
those who are aggrieved by him, 

Tq 



SERMON XIV, 



To all these considerations, he who styles 
himself a professor of the religion of nature, will 
add further, that he hath a God to serve, and a 
soul, perhaps, to save. 

The followers of the great Impostor in the 
East, are tied down to the rules of devotion, so- 
briety, and abstinence, in some respects very" 
rigorous ; with an assurance of ample amends 
hereafter in the enjoyment of all corporeal plea- 
sures in a terrestrial paradise. 

The express promise of plenty, health, long 
life, and honour, with some obscure intimations 
of better things to come, were the motives 
which it pleased the Divine Wisdom to make 
use of, in order to engage the obedience of the 
Jewish people: disgrace and poverty, pestilence, 
and death, were threatened to deter them from 
idolatry. 

Now, most of these arguments have, or had 
at the time when they were proposed, their de- 
gree of efficacy ; and many of them are uni- 
versal, alike solid and satisfactory in all ages. 

But yet, as the piety and charity required by 
the Christian revelation are the most sublime ; 
so the arguments urged to enforce them are the 
most considerable, not a few peculiar to Chris- 
tianity, and some the most weighty that can pos- 
sibly be addressed to the mind of man. 

In 



SERMON XIV. 

In the first place, every Christian is bound to 
the practice of every thing good and holy by his 
own promise and vow. This religion of Christ 
is so utterly incompatible with all kinds of vice, 
that no person can be admitted into it by bap- 
tism, without giving the most solemn assurances, 
before God and the church, that he will re- 
nounce them all. This engagement, which was 
first made for us before we were sensible of its 
importance, we have since, it must be supposed, 
such of us as are arrived at the age of manhood, 
made our own : by a particular and formal act, 
taking the baptismal vow upon our own souls., 
and binding our conscience by the form of sound 
WtirM pronounced over us at the lover of re- 
generation. At the Lord's table, also, we pre- 
sent unto God ourselves^ our soids and bodies, to 
be. a reasonable, holy, and lively sacrifice. Nay, 
by barely joining with the congregation in the 
common Christian worship, we shew to what 
religion we belong, and tacitly, or rather with 
our own lips we openly lay claim to the bless- 
ings, and acknowledge the obligations of Chris- 
tianity. Thus are the vows of God upon us alh 
No crime committed by a Christian is single. 
After such solemn and repeated engagements to 
lead a holy life, he who still commits sin, multi- 
plies the transgression and inflames every offence 
by the addition of unfaithfulness and perjury. 

To 



SERMON XIV. 



To these he adds also the vice of impious 
ingratitude ; not only as every other wicked per- 
son in the world doth, against Almighty God 
our heavenly Father, but also against his only- 
begotten Son our Lord. Nor is there a dutv 
in the whole catalogue of virtues, which, be- 
sides its own intrinsic excellence, and the au- 
thority of God stamped upon it, is not furthei 
and forcibly recommended to us, by the earnest 
intreaty of our Divine Redeemer. He, whose 
benefits, and whose love to us, are beyond all 
example and conception, requests this one thing 
of us, in return for all his goodness, that we do 
good ; that we serve God ; that Ave love one 
John xiii. another. By this shall all men knots) that ye are 
3o - my disciples , if ye have lave one to another. 
Matth. Who is my mother, and who are my brethren ? Who- 
48, 5o. soever shall do the mill of my Father which is m 
heaven, the same is my brother , and sister, and mo- 
ther. If we have gratitude, let us shew it by our 
works, as well as words ; in our lives, as well as 
Luke vi. prayers; lest we incur that just reproof, Why call 
ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I 
say ? 

But, for our encouragement and direction in 
the exercise of all virtues, this Divine Person 
has been pleased also to set them before us, both 
in his doctrine and in his own life. He went 
i Pel. ii. about teaching truth, and doing good \ but he 
22 - did 



SERMON XIV, 



233 ■ 



did no sin, neither was there guile found in Ms 
mouth* Whatever instances of piety, charity* 
humility, or self-denial he calls us to, he exhi- 
bits them in his own person. He requires no 
duties which he did not discharge, forbids no 
pleasures which he did not refuse. 

The virtues suitable to the condition of men 
were, many of them, not naturally adapted to 
his state of divine greatness ; and amidst the 
lustre of heavenly glory, his pattern, however 
perfect, would be invisible to an eye of flesh. 
But this difficulty he removes : he divests him- 
self of this celestial glory ; comes down into 
our world, assumes the human nature, not in 
appearance only, but in reality and truth, with 
all its weaknesses, wants, and passions, sin only 
excepted. 

Among the conditions also of human life, 
though none of them be free from troubles and 
trials, there is yet a wide difference ; some being 
more honourable than others, and some more 
commodious: he chose to himself the lowest 
station, and the sharpest sufferings. He did not 
come into the world to display his dignity, and 
receive the homage of his creatures, or to taste 
the gratifications of sense : but to labour, and 
yet be in want ; to minister to the necessities 
of others, without having where to lay his head; 
to heal the infirmities of men, and bear with 

their 



SERMON 



their perverseness ; to be reviled for his heaven^ 
ly doctrine, and pursued with menaces and 

John x. stones for the many good works, which he had 
shewed for his Father. 

And as it pleased that Supreme Father, in the 
depth of his unsearchable counsels, to receive 
fallen man to mercy only through the blood of his 
own Son ; he willingly undertook even this part 
also. He gave his body up to violence, to be 
stripped, scourged, and nailed to the cross : thus 
becoming in his own blood a sacrifice and atone* 
ment for others ; and by his death reconciling 
a world of sinners to his offended Father. 

And is there in all this no motive to piety and 
Virtue ? Is it nothing that we have been thus 
beloved, instructed, encouraged, and redeem- 
ed ? Can we see no reason in all that has been 
done for us, to do what we can, I would have 
said, for him who hath done so much for us ? 
but at least for ourselves ? If gratitude and 
love touch us not, cannot self-interest move us? 
Are we willing to give up so many benefits, 
purchased for us so dearly, and offered so free- 
ly to our acceptance? Can we consent that 
Christ should thus have loved us, and lived and 
died for us, and all in vain ? yet in vain we 
know, it must be, unless we lead a holy and 

l johniii. virtuous life. Little children, let no man deceive 
you: he that doth righteousness is righteous, even 

as 



SERMON XIV. 225 

as he is righteous : whosoever sinneth, habitually 
and wilfully, hath not seen nor known him. In 
this the children of God are manifest, and the 
children of the devil : whosoever doeth not rigli- j j h n j^ 
teousness, is not of God ; neither he that loveth *o. 
not his brother. 

When you are thus told of the mighty things 
that have been done for you of the mercy of the 
Supreme Father, the love of his divine Son, and 
all the sufferings he underwent on your ac- 
count; you may perhaps reply, that you ac- 
knowledge all this to be true, and wish with all 
your heart that you could be duly sensible of it: 
you are sorry that your minds are not more deep- 
ly impressed ; and if you do not love your Crea- 
tor and Redeemer as you ought, you can truly 
say, that you desire to do it. 

But do you consider that there is a sure rule 
to prove the sincerity of these pretensions of 
yours ? Thou Jmowest the commandments, Do not Mark x. 
commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steals Do ^ 
not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy 
father and mother. If you have such a sense 
of the love of God in Christ Jesus as makes you 
good men, as leads you to do whatever he re- 
quires, and keeps you from committing any 
thing that will offend him ; the Gospel has its 
proper effect upon you. And notwithstanding 
the coldness of your sentiments, all is still well 

Q while 



22.6 



SERMON XIV. 



while you can allege yonr obedience as the 
proof of the sincerity of them. 

But this obedience itself, in the present fallen 
condition of mankind, and corrupt state of the 
world, as it is perfect in no person, so is it diffi- 
cult, at least in some instances, to all. Here 
therefore is another token of the tender care of 
our Redeemer, who procures us assistance from 
heaven ; and leaving the earth himself, sends 
^ n ^ iv * down to us another Comforter, which is the Holy 
xvi is. Ghost, to abide with us for ever, to guide us into 
Rom. viu. a ^ nee( ij a i truth, to help our infirmities, and to 
Rom. viii. bear witness with our spirit that we are the chil- 
13> lS * dren of God. What a fund of encouragement 
is this for patience in troubles, and perseverance 
in every virtue ! You see how greatly a Chris- 
tian is the care of Heaven. The most Holy 
Trinity is represented as co-operating to the sal- 
vation of believers. Be afi'aid of the sin of not 
concurring humbly and earnestly with such a 
Helper. The Apostle's argument is not contra- 
Phil.ii. dictory to itself, but as just as it is awful : It is 
l3j 12 ' God that worheth in you both to will and to do ; 
therefore, work out your own salvation with fear 
and trembling. 

The obedience which you thus perform by 
God's help, will be rewarded by his bounty, as 
if it were all your own. It is a most eminent 
distinction of the Christian religion, that by it 

are 



SERMON XIV. 



227 



are given unto us exceeding great and precious 2 Pet. i. 4 -. 
promises : we are assured not only of the pro- 
tection of God's providence, and the assistance 
of his Spirit, but of the inheritance incorruptible ip e t.I.4. 
and imdefiled, and thatfadeth not away. The re- 
surrection of our Lord hath given men an ocu- 
lar demonstration of a life after death : and he 
is gone into heaven, as he has told us, to pre- John xiv. 
pare a place for his disciples, that where lie is, 2 ' 
there they may be also. 2\ either can they die Luke xx. 
any more: for they are equal unto the Angels: and So - 
are the children of God, being the children of the 
resurrection. 

It remains only to he added, in the last place, 
that as the rewards proposed in the Gospel ex- 
ceed all that we can ask or think ; so the 
punishment denounced against the impenitent 
is proportionally alarming. They shall be cast 
both body and soul into hell, into outer darkess, Matth. x. 
where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not 5j,J tt 



in. 



quenched. When t/ie Son of man shall come in his 12 - 
glory, and all the holy Angels with him ; then 4. ^' 
shall he sit upon the throne of his glory, and be- ^ Iatt ^ 
fore him shall be gathered all nations : and he 32, 33/ 
shall separate them as a shepherd divideih the 
sheep from the goats : and he shall set the sheep 
on his right hand, but the goats on the lejt : and Matth. 
these shall go away into everlasting punishment ; xxv ' 4 ^ 
but the righteous into life eternal. 

Q2 As 



'228 



SERMON XIV. 



As a wicked Christian is more inexcuseable 
than those who sin with less knowledge of their 
duty, and less experience of the divine good- 
ness ; so will his punishment be more severe. 
Mercy is indeed the most amiable attribute of 
Lam. iii. the Almighty. He doth not afflict willingly , nor 
33. grieve the children of men. But there is a time 
when mercy, even the Divine mercy, abused, is 
turned to vengeance. 

The goodness and love, even of God himself, 
became to the incorrigible and obstinate, only 
the foundation of fear and danger. Every bless- 
ing he hath bestowed, or offered, the regenera- 
tion of baptism, the communion of the body and 
blood of Christ, the love of God, the gift of his 
dear Son, the mission of his Holy Spirit, and the 
everlasting habitations prepared in heaven, if 
we refuse to hear, now when they call us to 
amendment, hereafter will rise up against t®, 
and condemn us. 

A Christian stands not on the same level with 
other men. As his virtues ought to be more 
eminent, what he does amiss is more criminal. 
God hath provided for him the highest mansions 
in the kingdom of glory, and is desirous to 
place him nearest to himself in heaven ; but if 
he resist the means of grace, and reject the offer 
of salvation, his punishment will be as terrible 
as his hopes were glorious, 

Thug 



SERMON XIV. 229 

Thus then the Christian's Creed is a doctrine 
according to godliness ; all the capital articles of 
it enforcing most strongly a virtuous and godly 
life. We have all the great reasons to be good 
men, which are common to others, and more* 
and greater, over and above. Let us not suffer 
them to be lost upon us. Let the piety and 
virtue of our lives be answerable to these ac- 
cumulated obligations : and if our own solemn 
engagements ; if the precepts, or doctrine, or 
love of Christ; if the example of his life, the 
propitiation of his death, the sanctih* cation of 
his Spirit ; if the offer of everlasting happiness, 
or the terror of eternal misery, be arguments of 
any weight ; then, however others live, let every 2 Tim, il. 
one that nameth the name of Christ, depart from 19 ' 
iniquity* 



Q 3 SERMONS, 



SERMONS 

ON THE 

TEN COMMANDMENTS. 



SERMON I. 



First Commandment. 
EXOD. xx. s. 

THOU SHALT HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME. 

That the heavens and all the host of them 3 
in which we observe so much magnificence and 
order y the earth, air, and sea, with their various 
and innumerable inhabitants, in which we see 
and experience so much use and beauty, are the 
workmanship of some superior Power, and the 
contrivance of a wisdom exceeding infinitely 
that of poor mortal man, has been readily al- 
lowed by almost all persons in every nation and 
age. Trifling disputes may have been raised 5 
and the appearance of opposition kept up ; but 
to little effect, except the confirmation of the 
truth. For the doctrines of Priests, the opi- 
nions of Philosophers, the traditions of the Vul- 
gar, unite in the support of each other ; and all 
agree to establish this great article of our faith,- 
That the world was made by a Divine Hand % 
that there is a God. 

But 



SERMON I. 



But then, that there is none other but lie ; that all 
things are made, and are governed by one alone ; 
this is a point which has not been acknowledged 
so universally. The Unity of God has been 
unknown to the common people for many ages, 
in almost all nations ; and the learned are but 
debating at this day, whether it can yet be 
proved by the light of nature. 

But, suppose we should want a demonstration ^ 
that there is but one God ; we plainly have no 
grounds on which to build so much as a conjec- 
ture, that there are more. 

In the frame of nature we discern the marks 
not only of design, but of uniformity ; we see a 
connection between the parts, extending as far 
as we are able to carry our observations ; which 
is an intimation to us that the Universe is One 
Whole, 

This Whole indeed is too vast for our under- 
standing to grasp : and the parts are tied to- 
gether often by links too fine for our distinct 
inspection. Can Man comprehend the curious 
proportions, nice adjustments, the intricate and 
endless co-operations of every atom of worlds 
unnumbered through the immensity of space ? 
Vet even Man is not furnished with such dull 
organs, but that from his station in the midst of 
this awful dome of nature, where all things, 
great and small, inanimate and living, resound 

the 



SERMON I. MS 

glory of the Creator, he is able to hear some por- 
tion of the universal harmony that surrounds him. 

But there is discord also among the works of 
God ; some evil, as well as much good. Every 
thing does not appear to contribute to this ge- 
neral agreement ; and if the happiness which 
we find in the world require us to acknowledge, 
that there is a God of wisdom and goodness ; 
there is misery enough in it to be imputed to 
some other author. 

Yes ; ourselves, very much of it ; and to our 
own voluntary choice. We will not receive the 
good that is offered us : we refuse to comply 
with the intentions of our Maker^ and to act 
the part allotted us : we abuse the blessings of 
heaven, and then murmur against the Author of 
them; The foolishness of man perverteth his way ; Piw.xix. 
and his heart fretteth against the Lord, 

Sometimes others act thus perversely, and we 
also suffer, in various degrees, for their faults. 
Still our calamities flow from that free agency 
which was imparted to us for our good, and up- 
on the whole contributes to it ; and which would 
lose its use, and its very nature, were the effects 
of it to be obstructed. 

Or we suffer by general laws, an interruption 
of which would be more hurtful than the evils 
we complain of. 

Or 



236 



SERMON t 



Or our sufferings arise unavoidably out of our 
happiness, or they are necessary in order to pro- 
duce it. Pain, among men, is the offspring, or 
the parent of all pleasure. It is evidently so in 
instances exceeding all number, and probably 
where we cannot trace the relation. 

Or, lastly, the evils which we suffer are such 
as the Author of the world meant to lay upon us; 
they are agreeable, if not to our wishes, to the 
plan of his providence ; and tend, as much per- 
haps as other things more eligible in our. eyes, 
to the great ends of his creation. 

Thus, as the voice 'of nature speaks most 
plainly the existence of one God, it suggests 
nothing to us concerning more : and the rules of 
sound Philosophy forbid us to multiply causes 
without necessity, or so much as the shadow of 
a reason. 

But Philosophy, in the Heathen world, even 
in the most learned times, enlightened but a few 
persons : and those few thought themselves at 
liberty to equivocate with the vulgar, and dis- 
semble their faith. If in their hearts they be- 
lieved in one God, they "worshipped more ; and 
offered their sacrifices upon as many altars as 
the rest of their countrymen. 

The religion of the Jews did indeed expressly 
teach, and earnestly inculcate the Unity of God: 
vet was indeed so far from expelling the evil 

ef 



SERMON I. m 

of Polytheism out of other nations, that it was 
not able to keep off the contagion from their own. 
While that people were masters of their own 
land, they were seldom content but with the 
gods of their neighbours : so long as they conti- 
nued free from the dominion of foreigners, they 
were ever ready to make room for their deities, 
And nothing could effectually cure them of 
Idolatry, but a long servitude to idolaters, 

But, what the law could not do, to borrow the Rom. \ HI. 
Apostle's words on another occasion, in that it 3 - 
was weak, God sending his own Son, hath emi- 
nently accomplished. Henceforth, to us there is i Cor, 
but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, vm * ^ 
and we in him ; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by 
whom are all things, and we by him. 

But even we, enlightened as we are by the 
Gospel, must be content with what is delivered; 
and not, prompted by curiosity or by vanity, 
presume to be wise above that which is written. 2 Tim. i. 
We are to hold fast the form of sound words ; 13 " 
without departing from it on either side, by ex- 
plaining it into what is not meant, or into no- 
thing ; neither confining what is left general, 
nor denying what we cannot comprehend ; lest 
thus, professing ourselves to be wise, we become Rom, i, 
fools. * 2 > 

The ideas of Unit?/, and Identity, m the ab- 
stract, are clear; applied to a Man,, or to the 

meanest 



23$ 



SERMON I. 



meanest Insect, they immediately become liable 
to a thousand difficulties, which hardly any two 
Philosophers clear up alike. But can we but be 
overwhelmed and lost in the breadth and length, 
and depth and height, the glory and humiliation, 
the union with the Father, and with Man, of 
that Word, who was in the beginning, was with 
God, and was God, and was made JLesh, and dwelt 
and died among us I 

This then is one thing we may do well to learn 
from the contemplation of the subject before us; 
and the less we comprehend of the subject, the 
more clearly we may deduce this inference ; 
That it becomes us to be humble in our opinion 
of our own accomplishments ; but especially of 
our own knowledge, and above all, of our know- 
iedgeof God: neverto dictate, nor yetbe forward 
to contradict. It is wrong, no doubt, to be igno- 
rant and dogmatical : but where is our merit in 
being obstinate, when we are no wiser ? How 
often, in these altercations, have both parties 
been the champions of Error ? how long disputed 
without meaning ? But such, alas ! is our for- 
wardness : in pursuit of Truth, which yet flies 
from us, we abandon that Charity which would 
make us happy. 

We may learn also, not only to be humble in 
our thoughts and words, but thankful and obe- 
dient in our hearts and lives. The Divine Nature 

is 



SERMON I. 



239 



is incomprehensible ; but our obligations and 
duty are evident. We are ign oran t in what mann er 
the Father, and Son, and Spirit are united : we 
are sure that we have been created ; we believe 
that we have been redeemed ; and if we have 
not yet learned, let us desire and strive to ex- 
perience what it is to be sanctified also. The 
mysterious essence of God he knows best, who 
possesses the greatest degree of resemblance to 
him, and is himself, as the Apostle speaks, par- 
taker of the Divine Nature. 2 Pet 14. 

The Scripture is full of this great truth, and 
in this article at least it is sufficiently clear. 
Hereby me do know that we know him, if zee keep i John U. 
Ids commandments. He that saith, I knew him, s ' 4 " 
and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and 
the truth is not in him. 

Without obedience, our knowledge is but ig- 
norance, our wisdom folly, and our belief no 
better, nav it is worse than infidelity. The more 
we know of our Maker, and of his will, if we do 
it not, we shall be beaten with the more stripes. 
Orthodox opinions not accompanied with a good 
life, like blossoms without fruit, by promising 
fairly, aggravate the disappointment. 

What is it but mockery to discourse of the 
Supreme Being, were it ever so properly, if I 
pay no respect to his authority ? I define, sup- 
pose, all his attributes, but regard none of them ; • 

and 



210 



SERMON L 



and while I contemplate his perfections, neither 
love, nor fear, nor resemble him. How much 
superior to me is the most illiterate rustic, who 
is faithful, just, and merciful ? the wildest sa- 
vage, who does by nature the things contained in 
the law ? and the heretic, who holds his mistakes 
with modesty, and adds not immorality to his 
errors ? 

Thou believest, that there is one God; thou 
doest well ; the Devils also believe, and tremble. 
If our life be bad, the very apostate spi« 
rits, who are reserved in everlasting chains 
under darkness, are as religious as we are ; and 
we have reason to be sensible of all their ap- 
prehensions : The same faith should be pro- 
ductive of the same fears \ we too may believe, 
and tremble. 

Deat. vi, Hear, Israel, the Lor dour God is one Lord, 
'* ' ■ And thou shall love the Lord thy God, with all 
thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy 
might. The strength of the sentiment is to be 
estimated by the influence it hath upon our life 
and actions. Whatever it be which we suffer 
to occupy such a place in our affections, as to 
withdraw us from our duty, that becomes our 
God. 

Every immorality indeed is incompatible with 
the'belief of one God, and the supreme regard 
due to him. But there is one vice, which the 

Apostle 



SERMON I. 



241 



Apostle delights to represent in this point of 

view: Covetousness, which is Idolatry ; the covet- Col. Hi. 5. 

oas man, who is an Idolater. Eph. v. 5. 

The golden Image is set up in every nation, 
and has never wanted worshippers. Among the 
professed servants of the one true God, how 
many altars should we find, could we read the 
heart, inscribed and dedicated to this Idol ! 

All our unjust acquisitions are so many obla- 
tions to Mammon : and we are his servants and 
worshippers, and not God's, when our thoughts, 
time, and affections, are so engaged by riches, 
that we violate, or neglect, for the sake of them, 
the duty we owe to God or man. Love not the i Johnii, 
world, neither the things that are in the world : if 10 ' 
any man love the world, the love of the Father is 
not in him* 



R 



SERMON 



SERMON U. 



Second Commandment; Part L 



EXOD. xx. 4, 5. 



THOU SHALT NOT MAKE UNTO THEE ANY GRAVE*! 
IMAGE, OR ANY LIKENESS OF ANY THING THAT 
IS IN HEAVEN ABOVE, OR THAT IS IN THE EARTH 
BENEATH, OR THAT IS IN THE WATER UNDER 
THE EARTH. THOU SHALT NOT BOW DOWN THY- 
SELF TO THEM, NOR SERVE THEM* 



X HE medicine administered for the cure of 
one distemper will sometimes bring on another; 
and this in disorders of the mind as well as body; 
and in both chiefly where the habit is bad. 
What wonder, indeed, that our applications are 
unsuccessful, when, to use the expression of the 
Prophet, The wound RE FUSE TH to be healed? Jer. 

"Where little pomp, and few ceremonies, are 
used in the celebration of God's worship, it is 
too often neglected, or attended with indif- 
ference. 

His adorable perfections and divine benefits 
are all lost upon us. The imagination, wanting 




R 2 



SERMON II. 



a sensible object to lay hold on, is unmoved: 
and we can present our supplications with life- 
less lips and a cold heart before the Author of 
all being, and Giver of all good. 

But when an English Protestant happens to 
be present in the congregations of Catholics 
abroad, he is amazed to observe such fervours 
of devotion, as he was never a witness of among 
his own countrymen ; such violent emotions and 
rapture, as are not produced by prayers put up 
directly to Heaven, and the simplicity of a rea- 
sonable service. 

On the other hand, we allege that those very 
representations and symbols which appear so 
great a help to devotion, are the hindrance of 
true piety and virtue ; and this both among the 
higher ranks of mankind, and the vulgar. 

The former of these, having the sense to see 
that Religion cannot consist in such ceremonies, 
hastily conclude that it is wholly imposture and 
delusion ; and that all the preaching of the Gos- 
pel is but fraud, and the profession of it hypo- 
crisy or enthusiasm. They are made utterly 
unbelievers by such pious shews : religion is 
killed by being cherished overmuch : and there 
is no where to be found so much Infidelity, as 
in those countries where there is most of this 
appearance of Devotion. 

The common people too^ for whose benefit 

these 



SERMON II. 



245 



these decorations of religion were designed, are 
not a little injured. For besides that they are 
apt to take up the opinions of their betters, and 
when Irreligion is esteemed Politeness, soon 
think themselves qualified to be infidels, they 
get by these means wrong notions of religion, 
which are always favourable to corruptions ih 
practice : if they fall not into Atheism, they 
become either enthusiastical or superstitious ; 
and in all the three cases, their lives, it is like- 
ly, will be wicked. 

When they are kindled into enthusiastic fer- 
vours, they feel an internal impulse, which will 
hearken to no restraint, and are carried out a 
great way beyond the ordinary road of duty. 
The offices of common life are neglected ; the 
calls of nature and of kindred are unheard, and 
God's world must become a wilderness, if all 
men were thus to worship him. 

More usually a multitude of religious rites, 
and a shewy worship, leads the common people 
to Superstition. They are taught to place their 
religion in practices which at best are but steps 
towards it. They mistake the means for the 
end, and are much engaged in the service of 
God, without godliness. The Divine Being is 
dishonoured by their opinions of him ; while 
they think he can be pleased with performances 
of no value, and offended without a fault : as if 

II 3 the 



246 SERMON IL 

the heart and life were not of more considera- 
tion with him, than words and gestures, of any 
offering could be preferred before innocence 
and charity. It is from such notions as these, 
that men contract the Judaical disposition, and 
exercise the righteousness of a Pharisee y adorn- 
ing the temple, if they leave their parents in 
necessity : they cringe at God's altar with hard- 
ened hearts ; and are willing to atone by the 
mockery of penance, and numbered prayers, for 
the want of the Love of God, and of Justice to 
man. 

So true it is, that Religion as well as other 
objects naturally beautiful, is seen to the best 
advantage when adorned with moderation ; and 
suffers alike by too much Art, and by the hand 
of Ignorance. 

It is often easy to see the mischief in the two 
extremes, and yet difficult to assign the exact 
mean at the best distance from them both. As 
Catholics are liable to censure for the abuse 
of religious rites, some Protestants are justly 
blameable for vehemently rejecting the whole 
use of them : mighty earnest in their aversion 
to little matters, and formal in the very abhor- 
rence of forms. Our church in iier public ser- 
vice, we think, is neither destitute of grace and 
dignity, nor yet laboriously or fancifully cere- 
monious \ neither supinely negligent, nor vaim 



SERMON II. 



ly ostentatious. She recommends to her sons, 
and desires to instil into them, such a reverence 
for religion as may be united with the love of 
it, a sound piety untainted by hypocrisy or en* 
thusiasm. 

Let us then improve both under her care, and 
by her example ; fearing God with all solicitude, 
yet without that frivolous anxiety which is the *" 
parent of many scruples and but small improve- 
ment ; and obeying men too, them that have the He a. xili 
rule over us, with a willing mind, but without 17 ' 
servility ; as free, hut not using our liberty for a 1 Pet/iL 
cloak of maliciousness. lS * 

Let us have a tender conscience, with a teach- 
able temper ; giving no offence, and taking as lit- g Cortvi: 
tie as is possible ; and yet ready with an honest s * 
answer to every man that asheth a reason of the 1 p e t. 
hope thai is in us. 15 - 

Let us be obliging, without selfish views, 
without partiality, without fear ; and pious in- 
deed, but neither frantic nor censorious \ fully Rom.xiv; 
persuaded in our own mind, and shewing all meek- j it> 2 
ness to all men ; active, and patient ; warmed 
with jzeal, and illuminated by knowledge. 

Let us add humanity to our godliness; and to 2 Pet. i: 5 
faith virtue ; and uniting, what indeed cannot 
dwell asunder, Religion and Charity, recom- 
mend what we practise, adorn the doctrine of Tit. ii. 10 > f 

God 



248 



SERMON II. 



Eph.v. 30. God our Saviour i and be living members of his 

i. 22 23. . 

Col. i. 24. body, which is the church. 

However agreeable the doctrines of our faith, 
or the mode of our worship, may be to our own 
judgment, or even to the word of God, they will 
avail us but little, if our life be not answerable to 
them. The purity of our principles must be 
transferred into our practice ; the holiness of our 
praters pass into our disposition and deportment, 
It has been observed of the Heathens, that 
their errors must needs have an ill influence 
upon their lives ; and that it was difficult in- 
deed for them to be virtuous, while their reli- 
gion itself was impure, and their very gods im- 
pious. 

Hab.i.i3. Q ur God is of purer eyes than to behold evil : 
Rom.vii. an d, the commandment is holy ', and just, and good. 
We are not exposed to the same temptation, but 
then we are without their excuse. That which 
is good may be made death unto us ; and every 
additional motive to goodness make us still 
more the children of perdition. Christians^ 
who lead the life of Infidels and Heathens, must 
expect, not their punishment, but a w r orse. 

We Frotestants especially are on all accounts 
obliged to this sanctity in our lives, and self-con- 
demned if we neglect it. We pretend not to 
know any way of salvation without innocence^ 
pr without repentance, followed by real reforma- 



SERMON IL 



tion in life and practice. The great benefits 
offered to all in the gospel, every man by God's 
grace must secure to himself. No benediction, 
alas ! that we can pronounce over any one, will 
make a saint of him who continues in sin. The 
Spirit itself may be quenched ; and the grace of i Thess. 
God received in vain ; yet, not wholly in vain ; I'coi, vi. 
since it will redound to the vindication of his i. 
judgments, and the greater glory of the supreme 
Justice in the final condemnation of the wicked- 
Can it avail us in the last day, that our Reli- 
gion was reformed, while we ourselves were not 
so ? We thank God that we are separated from 
the errors, and freed from the chains of Popery, 
without breaking out into a state of religious 
anarchy. But if in this land of light and liberty, 
we be yet blinded by corruption, and slaves to 
sin, all honest men of every religion, and if 
there can be any honest upright man of no re- 
ligion upon earth, they will all rise up in the 
judgment against ns, and condemn us. Many shall Matt, via, 
come from the east and west, from every region, J 
and of all professions, and shall sit down with 
Abraham and Isaac, with Patriarchs, Apostles, 
and Saints, in the kingdom of Heaven, while the 
children of the kingdom, the professors of Christi- 
anity, and pretenders to Reformation, are cast, 
together with all the workers of iniquity, into 
outer darkness, where shall be weeping and gnash-. 
W$ °f teeth* 

SERMON 



SERMON HI. 



Second Commandment. Part IL 



EXQD. xx. 5, 6, 



VISITING THE INIQUITY OF THE FATHERS UPON 
THE CHILDREN, UNTO THE THIRD AND FOURTH 
GENERATION OF THEM THAT HATE ME '* 
AND SHEWING MERCY UNTO THOUSANDS OF 
THEM THAT LOVE ME, AND KEEP MY COM- 
MANDMENTS. 



W HEN, for the encouragement of piety. 
God is pleased to declare, that He will shew 
mercy unto thousands of them that love Him, and 
keep his commandments, that is, to the remotest 
relations and latest descendants of an eminently 
good man, treating them with peculiar tender- 
ness, rewarding with an opener hand, and 
punishing more sparingly, for his sake to whom 
they belong, or from whom they spring ; we take 
all these offers in good part, and have no difficulty 
in being reconciled to so gracious a dispensation, 
There is no complaint in this case of the want 




of 



SERMON III. 

of a due proportion between the merit and the 
recompence : we easily find ourselves qualified 
to receive kindnesses ; and consent readily that 
Almighty God may be as liberal as He will, and 
with as little reason. 

But it is much otherwise in the case of punish- 
ments* For if, in like manner, for the discou- 
ragement of impiety and vice, He has seen it 
necessary to descend to threatenings ; and inti- 
Isa.xlii.8. mate, that He is a jealous God> not willing to 
Jsa. lix. gfo e fa s gi or y f another ; that He "will repay fury. 
Eev. xvi. to his adversaries ; and to eminent idolaters will 
give to drink the cup of the fierceness of his wrath? 
not only full, but flowing over on those around 
them ; here we are by no means so soon satis- 
fied ; we immediately become curious and in- 
quisitive, desire to see the grounds and reasons 
of his proceedings, and have a multitude of ob- 
jections against the wisdom and equity of the 
Divine administration. 'Tis in vain to talk to 
us of general laws, or the welfare of the world ; 
we find no plan of Providence defensible, by 
which we ourselves are sufferers ; nor allow that 
the good of the Universe ought to be purchased 
at so great a price as the affliction of persons 
so innocent and well-deserving. 

Both innocent, and deserving ! alas ! who are 
they ? or where to be found ? Do we not boast 
pf imaginary qualifications, and lay claim to 

titles, 



SERMON III. 2. 

titles, that may be valuable indeed, but are not 
ours ? Does it concern us what are the rights of 
such persons, if we are not of the number ? There Matt.xi 
is none good but one, that is God. His angels he j^ iv ^ 
chargeth with folly : and the heavens are not clean xv. u. 

• xxv 6» 

in Jus sight. How much less man, that is a worm / 
He knows our desert, that it is shame and punish- 
ment. We stand naked and open before his 
eyes ; proud, and poor ; clamorous, and igno- 
rant ; demanding recompence and praise, when 
we should deprecate his displeasure ; and chal- 
lenging justice, while ourselves are the crimi- 
nals. Well may we submit to the divine wis- 
dom, and patiently take our share of evil, ac- 
cording to his will, and for the good of his 
w T orld, when we reflect, that the least of his 
mercies is more than our merit ; and the great- 
est of those sufferings, which for so many reasons 
lie inflicts, are less than we have deserved by 
our own iniquities. 

But children at least are innocent : They can 
be guilty of no crimes to cry for vengeance, and 
call down that indignation which resteth upon 
sinners. If they have no right to recompence 
for services which they have not discharged ; 
is it just to expose them to punishment for 
transgressions they were not able to commit ? 

The word children, in the language of Scrip- 
t me, is not confined to infants. When it is writ- 



m 'SERMON IIL . 

ten, lam a jealous God , visiting the iniquity ' of 
the fathers upon the children^ their age is not 
specified : There is nothing said to denote their 
infancy, or their innocence. Unto the third and 
fourth generation of them that hate me : The 
title of Haters of God was purchased indeed by 
their ancestors ; it is inherited, and deserved too 
by themselves ; who give proof of their legiti- 
mate descent, and fill up the measure of the 
iniquity of their fathers, by their own personal 
achievements. % 

Or were it otherwise, were they such as could 
noidiscem between the right hand and theleft; who 
is the giver of life ? Is not God ? If he had never 
given it, had he been to blame ? If he takes it 
back, is not his will a reason ? may he not with- 
draw from us the benefits which he himself has 
lent ; and whenever he sees fit, without any con- 
sent or demerit of ours, reduce us to insensibili- 
ty, or to nothing ? Be it, that he is bound by a 
law of justice, that will notbend even to save the 
Universe from ruin ; he is surely not answerable 
for the resumption of his favours, as he did not 
engage for the continuance of them, but may 
Matt. xx. do what he will with his own. 

Nay, should he at any time proceed even fur- 
ther than this, oppressing with calamities those 
whom he had never loaded with his benefits, and 
rendering the life of the most innocent worse 

than 



SERMON III. 

than death ; we may reflect, that he holds the 
reins of nature in his hand ; that we see but a 
little of his ways j that it will always be in his 
power, as it is in the power of no other, to re- 
member, restore, and rectify : That all souls are 
in his power, and live before him. Even death 
removes us not out of his empire; he can still re- 
compense the sufferings of his servants beyond 
the grave, and change the garments dipped in 
blood into robes of glory. His uncontroulable 
power becomes the foundation of just authority; 
and he has rights which can appertain only to 
the Ruler of the Universe, besides those that be- 
long to him as the Author of it. 

But after all, there is really no necessity, that, 
in order to vindicate the sanction in this com- 
mandment, we should trace with so much 
anxiety the rules of justice, and the foundation 
of morality : It is sufficient only to open our 
eyes, and have recourse in this case to expe- 
rience. 

Whether the Law of Moses be the word of 
God, or no, the world, I presume, is his work : 
The laws of Nature at least are of his appoint- 
ment. Now, according to these laws, we see 
that children are every day suffering the most 
grievous calamities, on account of the crimes of 
their parents and progenitors. It is God's will 
that they should do so : he has made the world 

so, 



SERMON III. 



so, that they must. What therefore we know he 
hath done in many instances which we see, we 
may well believe he will do in others, if he be 
pleased to tell us so. 

But the instances which we see, are according 
to the course of nature. That is the very thing 
insisted on. God hath established the course of 
nature ; and by the course of nature we find a 
multitude of such sufferings inflicted as those 
which, he threatens in the commandment. 

Would you urge, that these natural sufferings 
are not punishments ? Shall I ask. Whether they 
are visitations ? Alas i to how little purpose both 
of us ! Will our words make any alteration in 
them ? Are the things changed, because we name 
them differently ? Do they become, either less 
the act of Almighty God, or less calamitous to 
those on whom they fall ? 

When a new-born infant is carried off by a 
malady, owing, suppose, to the intemperance of 
its parent ; the child is not to blame, yet it feels 
pain and dies. 

sSam.xii. it i s written, The Lord struck the child tliat 
Uriah's wife bare unto David. Are not the laws 
of nature, by which the child of the intemperate 
person dies, the hand of the same God, who 
slew this child of David ? Or w T as this sufferer 
more innocent than the other ? 
The Supreme Governor is directed, no doubt, 

by 



SERMON III. 

by his wisdom and rectitude in all his actions, and 
all his appointments. The reasons of his gene- 
ral laws, and of his particular acts, may be dif- 
ferent, and yet both, no doubt, are alike good. 
But in the guilt of the parents, and the conse- 
quent death of the innocent children, the two 
instances are perfectly similar ; and no com- 
plaint can be made against the Divine Govern- 
ment in favour of the one sufferer, that will not 
be equally applicable to the other. 

Can we but admire that heavenly wisdom, 
which re acheth, as the wise man speaks, fro?n one Wisd.\ 
end to another, and sweetly doth order all things ? 
and among the rest hath established this har- 
mony between natural religion and revealed r in 
so much that every cavil at the doctrines of re- 
velation, is found to be an objection against the 
religion of nature, and an arraignment of the 
Creator of the world. 

Yet, say we, The way of the Lord is not equal: Ezek. 
The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the chiU x ^ m ' ~ 
dren's teeth are set on edge. Therefore mil I ver. 2. 
judge you, O house of Israel, every one according 
to his ways, saith the Lord God. 

You complain of the partiality of my Provi- 
dence ; therefore will I be indeed impartial to 
you, and deal with you according to your deserts : 
you demand justice, and you shall have it ; but 
remember^ that it will descend in punishment. 

S Since 



sermon nr. 



Since you call me so strictly to account, I will 
be strict and exact in my reckoning with you : 
I mil judge you, O house of Israel, every one ac- 
cording to his ways, saith the Lord God. 

Oh ! can there be a severer threatening in the 
whole storehouse of divine vengeance ? How 
impatiently do we call out for what will be our 
greatest calamity! Alas! God is but just, when 
He condemns us sinners to everlasting punish- 
ment : and is this what we desire of Him ? 
this, what we reproach Him for refusing ? 
Forgive him this wrong. His denial may be no 
more than a delay. The recompence we re* 
quire may overtake us : not so soon indeed as 
we ask, or as we have deserved | but in full 
weight and measure at last, and with such clear 
demonstration of its justice, as to overwhelm all 
our complaints and hopes together. 

Instead of censuring the divine ways, let us 
amend our own. Let us do, what we know 
certainly to be our duty ; and not presume to say 
what is His : His Duty ! to us ! who, what are 
we ? He giveth not account of any of his matters. 
He will do what He sees fit ; and that will be 
w 7 hat is so. 

Nay, He is ready to do for us, not that which 
is not right, that be far from Him ; but that 
which we have no right to require : He will re- 
ward 



SERMON III. 



259 



ward us, if we do but what is our duty; and 
when we do it not, if we repent, He will forgive. 
Repent, and turn yourselves from all your Ezek. 

. • - • 7 77 7 • xviii. 30, 

transgressions, so iniquity shall not be your ruin, &c 
It is the very application, with which Almighty 
God concludes a long apology for that conduct, 
which we find liable, it seems, to so many ob- 
jections : but to this conclusion, at least, we can 
have none, or none that we will avow. Such 
offers of mercy, as they are plain to be under- 
stood, so they must of necessity be approved by 
us. It remains, that we thankfully embrace 
them. Cast <may from you all your transgressions 
whereby ye have transgressed, and make you a new 
heart, and a new spirit ; for why. will ye die, 
house of Israel ! 

Lastly, let us look with reverence on that ob- 
vious but awful dispensation, by which the be- 
haviour of every individual is connected with 
the welfare, or the sufferings, of so many persons 
besides himself. As a bad man is a public cala- 
mity, which yet, under the direction of the Fa. 
ther of all, will terminate we hope in good : so 
a pious and eminently worthy person is an uni- 
versal blessing; reaping the fruit of his virtues 
in his own happiness, spreading the voice of joy 
and health throughout the dwellings of the 
righteous, and entailing the divine blessing on 
those that come after him to the latest gene- 
rations. 

S 2 SERMON 



SERMON IV. 



Second Commandment. Part IIL 
JOB xL 3, 4, 

THEN JOB ANSWERED THE LORD., AND SAID., BE* 
HOLD, I AM VILE £ WHAT SHALL I ANSWER 
THEE ? I WILL LAY MINE HAND UPON MX MOUTH. 

BEING called upon to give an account of cer- 
tain sums of money belonging to the public, the 
Roman General, you know, returned for an* 
swer, It was on this day I conquered Hannibal. 

Almost after the same manner, if we might 
presume to draw such parallels, when Almighty 
God is represented here in the book of Job, as 
descending from heaven, to put an end to the 
long debate concerning the equity of his provi- 
dence, he regards neither arguments nor answers } 
condemns his defenders, offers nothing for him- 
self ; but when you expect his reasons, has re- 
course to his authority i and for a reply to all 
complaints of his injustice, The Lord answered j bxl. c 



262 



SERMON IV. 



nnlo Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Hast thou 
an arm like God ? or canst thou thunder with a 
voice like him ? * 

The pious patriarch seems also to be sensible 
of the weight of this argument ; and, however 
bold and clamorous before, is convinced at last 
Job xliii. by such decisive reasoning : / knorv, that thou 
canst do . every thing : therefore have I uttered 
that I understood not : mine eye seeth thee ; 
wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and 
ashes, 

What pretensions, indeed, can man possibly 
have to expostulate with his Creator ? Where is 
the wrong, if he who made us all, take away 
the life of any, guilty or innocent, whenever he 

pleases ? 

But we are told that he has promised not to act 
in a manner so arbitrary. And one of the most 
remarkable passages of Scripture to this purpose,. 
v ze r- is that in the prophet Ezekiel: Behold, all souls 
xyiiu 3, ewe mine ; as the soul of the father, so also the 
soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it 
shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of 
the father • neither shall the father bear the ini- 
quity of the son. 

It is asked, How is this consistent with the 
sanction annexed to the second commandment ? 
And does it not amount to an abrogation, or at 
least to a suspension, of it ? 

Abrogation I 



SERMON IV. 



263 



Abrogation! and Suspension! alas! such lan- 
guage is not enough suited to the imperfection 
of human knowledge, and favours too much of 
system* 

In the day of judgment, we know, that every 2 Cor. v* 
one shall receive according to that he hath done, 10 * 
whether it be good or bad ; and, by God's grace 
in Christ, shall have rejoicing in himself alone , Gal.vi.4. 
and not in another. And in regard to the present 
life, these predictions of the prophet Ezekiel, in 
whatever extent they were meant, were, no 
doubt, faithfully fulfilled ; though we may be 
little able, we especially at this distance, to spe^ 
cify the times, or persons, or occurrences, of 
which they were spoken. 

It may be more easy perhaps to single out an 
event or two, of which they certainly were not 
intendeda 

The destruction of Solomon's temple, for ex* 
ample, together with the captivity of seventy 
years, was plainly of the number of those punish- 
ments, which were inflicted, not only for the 
sins of the sufferers, but also for the sins of 
those who went before them. Like unto him 2 Kin<x S 
(that is Josiah ) was there no king, that turned to xxiii - 
the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soid, 
and with all his might Notwithstanding, the 
Lord turned not from the fierceness of his great 
S 4 wrath 



m- SERMON IV, 

4 

wrath, wherewith ■ his anger was kindled against 
Judah. 

2 Chroif. And they burnt the house of God, and brake 
xxxvi. 19. ^own t j ie wa ji j j eru salem, and burnt all the pa- 
laces thereof with fire. 
2 Kings Surely at the commandment of the Lord came 
>j-,iv. 3 f 4. ^ s U p 0n j u dah, to remove them out of his sight, 
for the sins oj Manasseh, according to all that he 
did : and also for the innocent blood that he shed ; 
for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which 
the Lord woidd not pardon. 

The destruction also of the second temple, and 
the astonishing slaughter and excision almost of 
the whole people of the Jews, which accompa- 
nied and followed it, as they are plainly foretold 
by our Lord, so they seem to be spoken of by 
Him as a Divine Punishment, and special judg- 
ment, not only for the crucifixion of our Lord 
himself, but also for the violence done to all the 
holy men and Prophets that had been before 
Mattft, him. f?ill ye up the measure of your fathers. 
fv&c. ' — Behold, I se?id unto youProphets, and wise men, 
and Scribes ; and some of them ye shall kill and 
crucify, and some of them shall ye scourge in your 
synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: 
that upon you may come all the righteous blood 
shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous 
Abel, unto the blood of Zacharias son ofBarachias, 
*ihom ye slew between the temple and the altar. 

Verily 



SE'RMON iv. ate 

Verily I my unto you, All these things shall come 

upon this generation.— I say unto you, it shall be Mb xl 

required of this generation* 

And that we may the less wonder at these ex- 
amples of divine punishment, or at least may 
mingle reverence with oar amazement, in the 
very same manner Almighty God seems to have 
dealt sometimes with other nations besides the 
Jews ; bearing with them long in their iniqui- 
ties, and then interposing at last, by his special 
providence, to take the more exemplary venge- 
ance for the sins of many generations together. 
Thou, saith he to Abram, shall go to thy fathers Gen. xv. 
in peace, thou shall he buried in a good old age : l0f 
hut in the fourth generation, they, (that is, thy 
posterity), shall come hither again ; for the ini- 
quity of the Amorites is not yet FULL, 

Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, (they are the iSam.xv; 
words of the Prophet Samuel to King Saul, 2 '- 3t 
about four hundred and fifty years after the de- 
parture of the Israelites out of Egypt), Ire- Acts xiiV 
member Diat which Amalek did to Israel, how he 
MS teak for him in the way when iwcame up from 
Egypt: now go, and smite Amalek, and utterly 
destroy all that they have, and spare them not; hut 
day both man and woman, infant and suckling, ojt 
and sheep, camel and ass. The Amalekites were lSam.x** 
indeed themselves sinners; but the offences also 38 ' 
©f their forefathers, you see^ for many genera- 
tion?;. 



266 



SERMON IV. 



tions, are taken into the account, to fill up the 
measure of their iniquities, and aggravate their 
condemnation. 

What shall we say more r or what other choice 
indeed is left to us, but to confess our ignorance* 
Ps. xcvii. and acquiesce in God's will ? Righteousness and 
judgment are the habitation of his seat ; but clouds 
and darkness are round about him. His very 
truth, and mercy, by which we live, on which 
all our hopes rest, however glorious and re- 
splendent in him, are shewn to human sight 
with a lustre dim and interrupted ; the bright- 
ness of a sky broken with clouds, and wet with 
the drops of rain. 

When we discern the footsteps of wisdom and 
goodness in the works or the word of God, how 
just is it to acknowledge, and delightful to ad- 
Ps.cxlvii. mire them ! It is a joyful and pleasant thing to 
lm be thanl fid. Yet all our religious sentiments 

Ps. ii. 11. may be properly tinctured with awe : Serve the 
Lord in fear ; even rejoice unto him with reverence. 
To represent -dho the divine wisdom to others,- 
in order to awaken the same just sentiments in 
them, is on every account highly commendable. 
But here too, let understanding be our leader, 
and our companion modesty. Our charity 
should be illuminated by knowledge, and the 
flame of zeal tremble. Otherwise, the apologies 
we make for Providence may themselves want 

pardon 5 



SERMON IV. 



267 



pardon ; and our panegyrics on the Almighty 
be the sacrifice of fools. My wrath is kindled Ecdes. v. 
against thee, said the Lord to one of his three l°\ xiili * 
famous advocates, <mJ against thy two friends : 
therefore offer up for yourselves a burnt-offering ; 

/ ^c?/ cciY/i you after your folly, in thai ye 
Irate not spoken of me the thing which is right. 

Our good will may not always atone for our Jobx5i7- 
presumption. Will ye speak wickedly for God? 
Dare we draw near even to vindicate the Most 
Holy without some sense of our own defilement? 
He is attacked impiously, we rush in irreverent- 
ly : The ark is shaken, we put forth unhallow- sSam.vi, 
ed hands. & 

God is very greatly to be feared in the council Psal ^ 
o/ the saints, and to be had in reverence of all ixxxix. s, 
them that ar*e round about him. 

Humility, the most profound and perfect sub- 
mission, is the proper disposition of every crea- 
ture in his presence ; of angels, archangels, all 
and the highest orders of celestial beings that 
minister before the throne of God : how much 
more of man that is a worm, and the son of man 
that is a worm ! ' 6 - 

We submit then, after much disputing on a 
dark subject ; after much disputing, perhaps 
darker ; we submit, Lord, ourselves to thee ; 
our conduct to thy command, and our blind 
reason and wordy wisdom to thy heavenly light 

The 



SERMON IV. 



The very sentiments of trust and gratitude^ 
which are inspired by thy unnumbered mercies^ 
we temper with reverence and godly fear. Thy 
goodness, we cannot search to its source ; but 
we are sure we have not deserved it : and thy 
judgments, if they fall on our head 3 will only 
descend upon the guilty. No opposition can 
be made to this instance of thy justice ; and 
however disposed to complain or cavil, we must 
at least approve the sentence of our own con- 
demnation. . 
Hab. vi. What can we do, but flee jor refuge to lay 
j £ or | hold upon the hope set before us ? Him, who of 
so- God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, 
and sanctif cation, and redemption ; we, unprofit- 
able servants, rewarded for his merit; we, sin- 
ners, sheltered from the storm of deserved wrath 
under his sufferings ! 

We dispute against God's providence, and 
call his attributes. into question, when the inno- 
cent are afflicted : Behold here the only person 
tsa. lift who was truly such : It pleased the Lord to make 
his soid an offering for sin, which he committed 
not: he had done no violence; yet was he stricken? 
smitten of God, and afflicted .* he was wounded for 
our transgressions, he was bmdsedfor our iniqiti* 
ties. All we like sheep have gone astray ; and 
the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. 
Will you accept these offers of divine- good* 

!i ess? 



SERMON IV. 



<2$9 



ness ? Do- you consent to be saved on such 
terms? Is the grace of God welcome, though it 
be a free gift? and if you could not merit such Rom. v. 
mercy, can you be thankful for it ? 

Or will you rather, perhaps, stand up in vin- 
dication of your rights ? refuse to be punished, 
when you have not offended; and for another's 
sufferings disdain to be forgiven ? 

Alas ! we know not what we do, when we do 
other than conform to the purposes of God. It 
is his world ; and submission to him is the sum- 
mit both of virtue and of wisdom. All is right 
which he wills; every thing good that comes 
from God. 

The pestilence that walketh in darkness , the Ps.scl 
sickness that destroy eth in the noon-day ; the most 
extensive and terrible of his judgments, which 
distinguish not, to our eye, the righteous from 
the wicked ; pitying neither the innocence of 
infancy, nor the infirmities of age ; but laying 
waste the works of art and nature together, co- 
vering the cultivated land with desolation, and 
cutting offfrom the crowded city man and beast, 
are all the messengers and ministers of God : and 
we know that they all, for we know that all things, 

Work together for good to them that love God, Bom. viiL 

28. 



SERMON 



SERMON V. 



Third Commandment. Part I. 
JAMES v. 12. 

ABOVE ALL THINGS, MY BRETHREN, SWEAR NOT; 
NEITHER BY HEAVEN, NEITHER BY THE EARTH, 
NEITHER BY ANY OTHER OATH. 

When a particular vice is observed to be 
predominant, the preacher sets himself to op- 
pose it with all his might. He draws out all 
his train of reasons and arguments ; and if he 
find himself furnished with any stores of elo- 
quence also, he scruples not to make use even 
of that dangerous weapon. He represents the 
irregularity against which he is engaged, as the 
most heinous of offences: whatever other crime 
we overlook, he requires us to beware of this 
capital evil; and prohibits every action that but 
approaches near it, in the most comprehensive 
expressions, and under the severest penalties. 
For the making of necessary exceptions and li- 
mitations, we are left to our own reflections to 

nature^ 



272 SERMON V. 

nature, to experience, and the common sense of 
all the world. In the mean time, Casuistry be- 
ing no part of his province, he presses forward to 
dissuade, rebuke, and threaten. He stays not to 
look around, and collect all the cases where his 
maxims may give way ; nor lets the force and 
flame of his exhortations die, under the weight 
of unseasonable and frigid distinctions. 

Above all things, ray brethren, swear not. 
How ! Is the sin here forbidde*n the worst of all 
sins ? Grows there no other offence so rank in 
that soil, fertile of vice, the heart of man ? It is 
indeed utterly incapable of defence, or excuse ; 
foolish, profane, and hurtful ; dishonourable to 
the Supreme Being, and detrimental to man- 
kind. But so, alas ! are many other vices. All 
indeed are so, either directly, or in their conse- 
quences. But some there are surely in them- 
t selves so odious, in their effects so fatal, that 

they may be allowed to claim this infamous pre- 
eminence ; so that he who swears, and that in- 
considerately and falsely, by heaven, or by the 
earth, or by any other oath, however liable to 
blame and punishment, will hardly fall into a 
greater condemnation. 
Eph. vi, Above all, taking the shield of Jaith,— above all 
1 Pet. iv. things, have fervent charity. — We need not set 
the graces and virtues of our religion in com- 
petition with each other 5 we distinguish best a 



SERMON V. 



273 



when we are possessed of all. It is not neces- 
sary to weigh the vices in so exact a balance* 
The very same Apostle, w T ho is in this instance 
so urgent, above all things, my brethren, swear 
not, has already taught us, that whosoever shall James i£. 
keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, iCh 
he is guilty of all. 

The text of St. James is taken from the words Matth. v. 
of our Lord in his sermon on the mount. I say S4> > &Ct 
unto you, swear not at all : neither by heaven, for 
it is God's throne ; nor by the earth, for it is his 
footstool ; neither by Jerusalem ; and so on. Af- 
ter this follows almost immediately : / say unto 
you, that ye resist not evil: whosoever shall smite 
thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 
What ! not hold his hand at least, if it were 
stretched out to murder me ? If God ever give 
him the grace to repent, it will alleviate tlie 
anguish of his remorse, that the crime which he 
had the wickedness to attempt, he had not the 
unhappy success to execute. Turn to him the 
other also : How ! will you deny me the use of 
that prudent precaution, which is even com* 
mancled by our Lord himself? when they perse- Matts. 
cute you in one city, fee unto another, ^ 

But the persons who scruple to swear, disclaim 
resistance also : and in this they are consistent 
at least, if they be not wise. It is written, If 
cnjf man will sue thee at the law, mid take away 
X ihg 



274 



SERMON V. 



thy coafy let him have thy cloak also. — Are they 
willing to deliver up their property always to 
the first invader? Of these rights they are some- 
times, and with reason, a little more tenacious. 
Eph. iv. Let all wrath and anger be pat away from you f 
says the apostle Paul ; yet he himself had writ- 
Eph. iv. ten but a few lines before, Be ye angry, and sin 
Mark iii. no ^ ^ nc * our Lord himself, when they watched 
5. him, whether he would heal on the Sabbath day, 

looked round about on them with anger, being 
i Pet. ii. grieved for the hardness of their hearts. Honour 
U\ all men : love the brotherhood. Husbands, love 

.Lph. v. 

2,5, vi. 1,2. your wives, even as Christ also loved the church. 
Children, obey your parents : honour thy father 

Luke xiv. and mother ': — and yet, If any man come after me y 
and hate not his father and mother, and wife and 
children? and brethren and sisters, yea, and his 
oxm life also, . he cannot be my disciple. It is not 
the mere sound of a word, that we can rely up- 
on for the knowledge of what the Scripture 
teaches in any case: the nature of the subject^ 
the scope of the writer, the lights afforded from 
other parts of scripture, and from reason also 5 
deserve all to be attended to. So that the true 
interpretation of a passage is sometimes very 
different from that which may be first suggest- 
ed to a hasty heedless hearer. 

The use of oaths is not prohibited in the third 
commandment. The name of the Lord cannot 

be 



SERMOSf V; 



275 



be said to' be taken in vain, when it is used ill 
the support of truth, upon occasions of import* 
ance. 

Secondly, Nor is there any thing like such & 
prohibition in all the Old Testament : though it 
is certain, that oaths were in use among other 
nations, and among the Jews, both before the 
giving of the Law, and under it. 

Thirdly, On the contrary, there are many 
examples recorded in the book of Genesis, and 
other parts of scripture, of the best men, who 
made use of oaths, or exacted them of others j 
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, and many 
more. 

Besides example, we meet with directions and 
precepts relative to the use of oaths, together 
with other marks of the approbation of them. 
If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an Numb; 
oath, to bind his soul with a bond ; he shall not xxx ' 2 " 
break his word : he shall do according to all that 
proceedeth out of his mouth. — -Thou shalt fear the Deut. vi. 
Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by lo ' 
his name. — Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle, p§. tv, 
or who shall rest upon thy holy hill ? Even he that 
leadeth an uncorrupt life-^—he that sweareih unto 
his neighbour, and disuppointeth him not— Unto 
me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. 
~—He that swear eth in the earth, shall swectr by j xv: 
the God of truth.— J f thou wilt return, O Israel* l6 - 

I 2 satth 



276 



SERMON V. 



saith the Lord, return unto me — and thou shall 
swear, The Lordliveth, in truth, in judgment, and 
in righteousness. — And they sware unto the Lord 
2 Chron. with a loud voice — and all Judah rejoiceth at the 
xv. 14,15. Qaffo.jQr fj ie y j iac i sworn a u i} ie ' ir ]i ear ^ an d 

sought him with their whole desire t and he was 
found of them ; and the Lord gave them rest 
round about. 

An oath indeed is justly considered as an act 
of religion. 

First, It is an acknowledgment of the power 
and divinity of the Being we invoke. 

Secondly, It is an acknowledgment of his 
moral attributes, and providence ; that he is a 
lover of truth and justice, that he marks our 
actions, and will call us to account for them. 

Thirdly, It is an acknowledgment of this, 
made in a public manner, before many witnesses, 
and with great solemnity. Oaths therefore are 
useful, or may be so, if the fault be not in our- 
selves y both by impressing sentiments of reli- 
gion, and by strengthening the fidelity and 
mutual confidence of men in each other ; and 
this in cases sometimes, to which no other bonds 
but those of religion and conscience can reach % 
in contracts of the very highest importance, 
among private persons, and between princes and 
kingdoms. Had our Lord designed to put an 
-end to all oaths absolutely, would he not have 

forbidden 



SERMON V. 



277 



forbidden lis to swear by Almighty God himself? 
Of this oath he is silent. / say unto, you swear 
not at all, neither by heaven, nor by the earth, nor 
by any other such like, vain, fantastic^ absurd 
oath. 

The apostle Paul, who surely understood our 
Lord's intention on this subject, scruples not even 
in his epistles to the Christian churches, to con- 
firm his assertions by oaths. — God is my witness, Rom. i. g 9 
whom I serve in the gospel of his Son. — Now the Gal. i. 20. 
things which I write unto you, behold, before God, 
I lie not. The God and Father of our Lord 2 Cor. i. 

31 

Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth 
that I lie not You see, the apostle Paul makes 
use of oaths, both in effect, and in very express 
terms : Not indeed by heaven, nor by the earth, 
nor any other such like oath : he seeks no such 
vain subterfuges against profaneness or perjury; 
but swears, as he lived, in simplicity, as well as 2 Cor. i, 
sincerity, by the God and Father of our Lord 32 * 
Jesus Christ, than which a more awful name is 
not to be uttered by the voice of man. 

But who is Paul, or who is Apollos? That very 1 Cor. Hi. 
God and Father of our Lord hath strengthened 5 * 
his own promises, to those that trust in him, by 
the confirmation of an oath. Be it, that the use 
of,oaths is founded upon the corruption of our 
nature, upon our falsehood and instability ; the 
A.; mighty, at least, is free from this suspicion: 

T 3 He 



2/8 



SERMON V, 



He is not to be charged with insincerity. Yet 
Hebr. vi. God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the 
heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, 
confirmed it by an oath : that by two immutable 
things, that is, his immutable counsel, and in- 
violable oath, in which it was impossible for God 
to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who 
have Jled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set 
before us. 

But if, in imitation of the plain example of 
the Supreme Being himself, and in opposition, 
as we think, to none of his commands, in causes 
of importance, for the sake of truth, in support 
of justice, at the call of charity, we engage our 
religion as well as honour, and submit to be 
bound by this accumulated obligation ; let us 
not forget to imitate the same perfect pattern 
in that fidelity also and truth, which may render 
the assistance of oaths as little necessary as pos- 
sible. This at least we may do safely; without 
danger of offending God, and without censure 
from any sect of Christians, Whether it be law- 
ful to swear, or not, it is certainly a duty to 
speak truth, and to act honestly. The contro- 
versy concerning oaths would come to a very 
desirable end, if all parties would but draw this 
conclusion from it. 

However we may differ from those who scruple 
the use of oaths, we must agree with them in 
this, that the most certain and unexception- 

able 



SERMON V. 



279 



able way of gaining credit, is always to speak 
truth. And if they be careful to give us this 
security to rely upon, we have not much reason 
to complain of the exchange. Their practice 
will be the best vindication of their professions. 
Though we do right, on our part, to be fully per- Eom.xiv. 
euaded in our own mind; we may well permit ' ~" 
them to plead conscience, who can give the most 
in\\o\^b\e fidelity for a proof of their conscien- 
tiousness : let them freely enjoy any distinction 
or privilege, so long as they never use it for a 
cloke of maliciousness, or of fraud. 3 Pet. & 

And persons of all persuasions on this subject, 
or on any other, may do well to reflect, that 
God is witness of every thing. Whether we 
invoke him or not, still he is present. Though 
we cautiously decline the use of his holy name? 
and substitute some object of less veneration in 
his place ; or if we trifle with him by mental 
reservations, or by putting to words a sense of 
our own, different from that which is acknow- 
ledged and understood ; or if w T e refuse to swear 
at all, from pretended or real scruples ; all these 
evasive expedients will be found insufficient to 
screen our insincerity from his resentment. 
Falsehood is offensive to him, as certainly as 
Perjury. Lying lips are abomination unto the Prov. xii. 
Lord. The Lord shall root out all deceitful lips. ?f 

-rs. xii. 3' 

Loi'd, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle? — even he Ps. xv. i, 

T4 that s ' &c - 



280 



SERMON V. 



that leadeth an uncorrupt life, and doeth the thing 
"which is right, and speaketh the truth from his 
heart; he that hath used no deceit in his tongue , 
nor done evil to his neighbour. He that svceareth 
unto his neighbour, or if he have not sworn unto 
him, disappointeth him not, though it "were to his 
own hindrance Whoso doeth these things, shall 
never fall 



SERMON 



I 

/ 



SERMON VI. 



Third Commandment. Part IL 
EXOD. xx. 7. 

THOU SHALT NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORk 
THY GOD IN VAIN : FOR THE LORD WILL NOT 
HOLD HIM GUILTLESS THAT TAKETH HIS NAME IN 
VAIN. 

If we undertake to treat of oaths, it is proper, 
no doubt, impartially to represent, both how 
far they may be allowed ; and in the cases where 
they are not allowable, how greatly they ought 
to be condemned. The former, however, of 
these two points is not generally so seasonablc 5 
nor so important as the latter. Scruples are 
not so common as profaneness, nor by any means 
so detrimental: and to almost every congrega- 
tion of Christians, the best and most useful dis- 
course concerning oaths is that, I fear, which 
brings the best and strongest arguments against 
them. 

But indeed, when we maintain that oaths are 
properlyacts of religion towards God, and adapt- 
ed to promote truth and confidence among men, 

we 



SERMON VI. 



we are so far from giving encouragement to the 
practice of common swearing, that, in all just 
estimation, Ave plead strongly on the other side. 
For this profane abuse of oaths plainly tends to 
degrade the dignity, and destroy the usefulness 
of all oaths whatever. There is not a moment's 
interval between familiarity and contempt, 
What wonder if, thus prostituted, they meet 
with little reverence on the most awful occasions? 

Were they not capable of being applied to any 
useful purpose, it would be but a single crime to 
do hurt with them : whereas now we are answer- 
able not only for the mischief we occasion, but 
the want of all the good which we prevent. 
Out of our own mouths we are condemned: and 
profane swearing is more criminal in us, than 
it would be in one of those persons, who are 
persuaded that oaths are in all cases unnecessary, 
and absolutely and utterly forbidden. 

Yet the people of that persuasion, to do them 
justice, in this respect are very little guilty. It 
is rarely that you shall find any of that sect, who 
maintain that even serious oaths are not allow- 
able, falling into profane. Their opinion there- 
fore, however mistaken, yet at least may be- 
borne with him ; and a practice so conformable 
to it, lays claim to our commendation.. Where- 
as we by a conduct inconsistent with any prin- 
ciples, and doubly wrong upon our own, do evil 

with 



SERMON VI. 



vvlth the means of good, and profane what we prc= 
tend to hold sacred. 

Is it not surprising, that a practice so contrary 
to religion, and detrimental to society, should 
have abounded so much as this hath done, in 
almost all kingdoms and ages ? Though it is in- 
deed still too common among us, we have no 
reason to complain that it is more so than in 
former times, or foreign countries. 

The Greek and Latin nations were far from 
being faultless in this respect ; nor did they con- 
fine themselves to any one form of swearing, or 
one object. They had a multitude of Divinities, 
adapted each to a different purpose : but every 
one of them ready to lend his name, as it might 
be most suitable to the inclination of the person 
disposed so make this bad use of it. 

Whether the inhabitants of the British Island 
were formerly deficient in this article of vice, or 
whatever might be the reason, our Norman con- 
querors, we are told, brought over with them a. 
great stock. And several of the Monarchs of 
that formidable race made themselves remark- 
able, as for their other great exploits, so each of 
them for a particular mode of common swear- 
ing, of which he was pleased to set an example, 
and to become the professed protector and pa- 
tron. Some few of these select forms have bad 
pif fortune to survive even to this day ; but 

meet 



SERMON VI. 

meet with no respect now, like other favourites 
without merit, when their masters are no more. 

Theancient Roman Emperors, being far great- 
er than ordinary kings, took upon them propor- 
tionably greater state even in this ceremony of 
oaths. For though they might themselves con- 
descend, on occasion, to invoke Jupiter, or Her- 
cules, or any other Deity, whom they were 
pleased to honour with their notice ; they re- 
quired their subjects and slaves to offer incense 
to the Emperor's own image, and to swear by 
his name. *# 

In short, the custom of profane swearing has 
overspread the world. And yet this single plea 
of custom is all that can be alleged in its ex- 
cuse ; while there is such a multitude of the 
justest views to condemn it. 

Passing by the Idolatry there would be in 
swearing by false gods, with any real respect to 
their authority, and the absurdity and impiety 
united in the invocation of empty names ; let us 
suppose the offence in question to consist in call- 
ing upon the Supreme Being in a form of words 
appropriated to swearing, yet without any par- 
ticular intention at the time seriously to request 
his interposition ; bnt merely to signify, that we 
are angry perhaps, or perhaps merry ; that w 7 e 
are somewhat surprised, or scarcely sober ; that 
we are very positive, or willing to be thought 

witty ; 



SERMON VI. 



witty; or perhaps without any intention or 
meaning whatever. 

And where is the mighty harm, it might be 
said, since it is all in sport ? 

Sport ! with whom ? The Creator and Lord 
of the Universe ? before whom the highest or- 
ders of celestial beings fall down, and worship? 
w r hom no man can see and live ? Is he a subject 
for sport ? 

Or were He less great ; consider, He is your 
Creator and Lord. You live, and move, and have Acts xvll 
your being in Him. He made you what you are : 28 - 
He gives you all you have : He taheth away your p SeC i v# 2^ 
breath, you die, and are turned again to your dust ; 
nay, can destroy both body and sold in hell. Is Mattk 
He a subject for sport ? He gave his own, and ■ 
only-begotten Son, to suffer death, to be cruci- 
fied for your sins : Is He a subject for sport ? 

As to religious matters, you have nothing to 
do with them. — Are you sure of that ? Can you 
demonstrate taen, that there is no God who 
made you? no Saviour to judge you? You 
know at least that you must die ? what if you 
should then find, that you have been mistaken ? 
will you stand such a hazard for sport ? 

Undertake some bold profitable perjury. True 
wisdom indeed will condemn your conduct still. 
Alas ! What is a man profited, if he gain the Matt,xy~ 
Xihok world, and lose his oxvn soul ? But vou will 26 

be 



SERMON VL 



be able to reflect, that you had before your eyes, 
when you went astray, the appearance of advan- 
tage ; and were undone for what you once 
hoped might have been useful. 

You look for no benefit from this vice : do you 
receive any pleasure from it : It is wrong, you 
must confess ; but so delightful and sweet per- 
haps, that you know not how to abstain. Pos- 
sibly you have often resolved against it, but 
through the imbecility of human nature, to no 
purpose ; relapsing continually and almost una- 
voidably into a practice, which makes the whole 
comfort and satisfaction of your life. 

You must know your own comforts best. If 
you assert, that swearing is so prodigiously plea- 
sing, who shall take upon him to contradict you ? 
Only it will be a mystery, of which we cannot 
have any comprehension. 

When a glutton, or a drunkard r , pleads the de- 
light he takes in his intemperance, we under- 
stand that the appetites of hxutger and thirsty 
which are necessary to our subsistence, and to 
the gratification of w T hich there is naturally an- 
nexed some degree of pleasure, have been so 
enlarged by excess, and perverted by abuse, that 
the poor man finds a real difficulty in refraining 
from the excesses that destroy him. 

The most intemperate rage, however danger- 
ous and criminal, is but the extreme of the pas- 
sion 



SERMON VI. 



sipo of anger ; the satisfaction of which is the 
removal of a present pain, and the ultimate end 
of it, self-defence. 

It might puzzle a philosopher to trace the love 
of swearing to its original principle, and assign 
its place in the constitution of man. 

Is it a passion, or an appetite, or an instinct? 
What is its just measure, its proper object, its 
ultimate end ? 

Or shall we conclude that it is entirely the 
work of art ? a vice which men have invented 
for themselves without prospect of pleasure or 
profit, and to which there is no imaginable temp- 
tation in nature. 

Can any thing further be thought of in its de- 
fence ? Is it an honour to swear ? There are in- 
deed some persons, if we may judge by the self- 
complacency apparent in their air and manner, 
who are so far mistaken, as to fancy that this 
vice is an improvement of discourse, giving a 
spirit, a kind of high relish to their sentiments - f 
and accordingly they serve it up to you, on every 
occasion, and mix it with all their remarks. In- 
deed it takes upon itself sometimes to be more 
than a mere ornament in conversation, and be- 
comes the more considerable part of what 
people have to offer. You find, if you reflect on 
what they have said, that the oath is the whole 
substance of the observation. 

If 



SERMON VL 

If it be an accomplishment, it is such & one 
as the meanest person may make himself master 
of; requiring neither rank nor fortune, neither 
genius nor learning. 

But if it be no test of wit, we must allow per- 
haps that it wears the appearance of valour* 
Alas ! what is the appearance of any thing ? The 
little birds perch upon the image of an eagle. 

True bravery is sedate and inoffensive : if it 
refuse to submit to insults, it offers none ; begins 
no disputes, enters into no needless quarrels ; is 
above the little, troublesome ambition to be dis« 
tinguished every moment : it hears in silence^ 
and replies with modesty; fearing no enemy, 
and making none ; and is as much ashamed of 
insolence as of cowardice. 

Lastly, the vice of common" swearing is pro- 
hibited by the laws of God and man. 

it is an open violation of your country's laws, 
enacted by the highest authority in this na- 
tion, both wisely and justly, with a view to the 
public good : nor can you, so long as you con- 
tinue notoriously guilty in this respect, lay 
claim to the title of a good citizen. 

That of a good Christian perhaps you are not 
ambitious of obtaining : Or else, what further 
occasion is there for words or arguments ? Pro- 
fane swearing is displeasing to Almighty God ; 
it is forbidden^ and will be punished by him, 

/ 



SERMON VL 



1 say unto you, Swear not at all ; neither by heaven, 
for it is God's throne : nor by the earth, for it is 
his footstool : but let your communication be yea, 
yea ; nay, nay : for whatsoever is more than these 
cometh of evil. Thou shall not take the name of 
the Lord thy God in vain: the threatening follows; 
the Lord will not hold him guiltless thai taketh his 
name in vain. There is more intended than ex- 
pressed ; the meaning is, he will severely punish 
him. The Lord will not hold him guiltless : 
He will take this cause into his own hand ; being 
particularly, and as it were personally concerned 
in it. 

The penalties appointed by human laws are 
not always inflicted ; and in the case before us 
very rarely. Of a thousand offenders, is there 
one brought before the magistrate ? Or he, for 
one of his offences in a thousand ? 

But the Divine Lawgiver and Judge, who 
has annexed a peculiar threatening to this com- 
mandment, is himself, we should consider, a 
witness too of every violation of it. He bears in- 
deed with our offences ; yet he notes them ; and 
though he be long suffering, he is also true 
and just, and will by no means clear the guilty. E 

His sentence is not executed speedily ; and x 
may indeed by timely repentance be prevented ; 
without this the stroke, however slow, is inevi- 
table. Delay is no security. On the contrary, 

U the 



SERMON VI. 



the longer the Divine patience spares us, so 
much the more heinous is our guilt, if we repent 
not ; and the heavier must be our punishment. 
However free we may be from the dread of any 
human tribunal ; however the Divine vengeance 
may slumber for a season ; it is impossible for 
us to escape, since he who cannot lie hath said. 
The Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh 
his name in vain. 

The time will come when impious mirth will 
be turned into mourning ; the laughter of scoff- 
ers into tears. Their profane oaths they w 7 ill 
change into supplications and prayers ; which 
now indeed might be heard, but will be then 
too late. Or rather, since the day of grace will 
be past, and even repentance be then in vain, 
they may continue the course they have now 
chosen : imprecations and blasphemies may be 
still their employment ; despair their refuge ; 
and accursed spirits, whom they have resembled 
on earth, be their companions and tormentors 
to all eternity. 



SERM)N 



SERMON VII. 



Fourth Commandment. Part L 
EXOD. xx. 8. 

REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY TO KEEP IT HOLY, 

The prodigious solemnity with which the ten 
commandments were delivered, from a mountain 
burning with fire, by the voice of God, gave 
them a distinction above the rest of the Law of 
Moses ; though it was all derived from one foun- 
tain of wisdom, and enjoined by the self-same 
authority. The people of the Jews could not 
but pay a peculiar respect to precepts, uttered 
by the Almighty himself in their own eais ; and 
their posterity, and all men indeed, must be led 
to think, that these laws were not selected from 
the rest, and accompanied with such marks of 
honour, without some superior merit ; but the 
observance of them must be either more emi- 
nently acceptable to the Supreme Lawgiver, or, 

U 2 which 



292 SERMON VII. 

which is in reality the same, more necessary for 
the good of men. 

The subject matter of these commands appears 
also upon examination to be answerable to such 
expectations. They contain the great principles 
of human duty, the fundamental rules of religion 
and morality. Besides the great authority im- 
pressed on them, there is an original, intrinsic 
value in all the laws which have found a place 
in that literally Divine composition, of which the 

Exod. tables were the work of God, and the writing was 

xxxii. 16. fj ie xvriting of God. 

If there be any objection to this observation, 
any precept among this chosen number, that in 
its own nature is not essential to religion and 
virtue, but owes all its obligation to the revealed 
will of the Lawgiver, it is this, Remember that 
thou keep holy the ^Sabbath day. Sh: days shall 
thou labour and do all that thou hast to do : but 
Hie setcnih day is- the Sabbath cf the Lord thy 
God. 

In the strictness in which this precept was en- 
joined to the Jews, it is to be considered as ma- 
king a part of their ritual law, and expiring w 7 ith 
the commencement of Christianity, 

Amongst all the discourses of our Lord, and 
all the writings of his Apostles, in which the du- 
ties of men are raised to the highest pitch, and 
pressed with the greatest earnestness, there is 

not 



SERMON VII. 



notto be found oneword to recommend the strict, 
or indeed any observance of the Sabbath. Can 
it be ranked among the duties of Christians ? 

Be it, that a regular system of virtues is not 
designed to be drawn up in the New Testament $ 
and that the Jews, in those days at least, were 
sufficiently observant of the Sabbath : can we 
suppose that the Gentile converts, to whom so 
many of the Epistles are addressed, had been 
every where so well instructed in this duty, if it 
was a duty to them ; and so thoroughly accus- 
tomed to the practice of it, as to stand in no 
further need of information or counsel ? 

Secondly, Several of the miracles and dis- 
courses of our Lord tended plainly to diminish 
the veneration for the Sabbath ; and as it may be 
thought, to 'prepare the minds of men for the 
abolition or alteration of it. The Jews indeed 
were superstitious ; to heal the sick on any day, 
could never be a violation of a law of God : and 
it was a sufficient answer to such as thought 
otherwise, that the Sabbath "was made for man, Mark ii. 

But our Lord did more than this. He com- 27 * 
manded one person, whom he had just enabled 
to walk, to carry his bed along with him on that John v. s, 
day ; though it was expressly written in the pro- Jer. xyiL 
phet, that no burden should be borne upon the 21 " 
Sabbath. And when the Pharisees found fault Matt. xii. 
with his disciples for rubbing the ears of corn, he l> SiC ' 

L T 3 vindicates 



294- 



SERMON VII. 



vindicates them by comparing the law of the 
Sabbath to the Levitical rules concerning the 
shewbread and sacrifice. He represents some of 
the ceremonies attending their temple-worship, 
and the rite of circumcision, as properly and rea- 
sonably taking place of the respect due to the 
Sabbath, and excusing the profanation of it : and 
adds, In this place is one greater than the Temple : 
The Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day : 
plainly declaring, that he had power to alter 
these legal institutions ; and intimating also per- 
haps, that he intended to use it. 

But that the Jewish Sabbath is not now bind- 
ing to Christians, appears no where so plainly as 
in the Epistles of St Paul. 
Gal. iv. 9. Now after that ye have blown God, how turn ye 
10, 14. a g a \ n to the weak and beggarly elements, where- 
unto ye desire again to be in bondage ? Ye observe 
days, and months, and times, and years. I am 
afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you la- 
bour in vain. And if you doubt what are the 
times and days he speaks of in a manner so dis- 
Colos ii. paraging, hear him again : Blotting out the hand- 
14, 16. writing of ordinances, that was against us, nail- 
ing it to his cross. — Let no man therefore judge 
you in meat or in drink, or in respect of an 
holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath 
days* 

Behold 



SERMON VII. 



295 



Behold the great apostle asserting the liber- 
ties of .mankind, with an earnestness suitable 
alike to the strength of his genius, and the im- 
portance of his subject ! as if he had said — 

" These ritual ordinances were a burden up- Gal. in. 
on us doubly grievous : the observance of them i{i 
was slavery, and disobedience death. A law 2 ~- 
so voluminous and rigorous, must conclude all lq> 
under sin 9 and be alike fatal to every man liv- 
ing; set up, like the hand-writing upon the 
wall against the profane King, as it were on pur- 
pose to pronounce over our head the sentence 
of condemnation. But thanks be to God in 
Jesus Christ, it is at length extinct ; dead in his 
death, never to revive more. Call us to no 
account henceforth on this antiquated subject, 
nor presume to name to men the children's toys. 
We can yield to no intreaties, no authority, not 
even of the very chiefest of the Apostles, in this 2 Ccr. xi. 
capital cause; but stand fast in our freedom, 5 ' 
and refuse utterly to wear again the yoke of 
bondage. The Jewish distinction of meats and 
days is at end. To the pure all things are pure. Titus i. 
Christians keep a continual festival of obedience 15 ° 
and thanksgiving : God has granted us here a 
more valuable .rest, from the ceremonies of the 
law, and the servitude of sin ; and has prepared 
for us an everlasting Sabbath, which we shall 
celebrate with the saints and angels, and with 
himself in heaven." 

U4 If; 



296 



SERMON VII. 



If, after all, some of the first converts to Chris- 
tianity among the Jews could not conquer all 
their prejudices at once, but had still a leaning 
towards the Law j like the nation that, impatient 
of freedom, petitioned inform to be again slaves 5 
the Apostle, for themselves, has condescended 
Rom. xiv. to their request : One man esteemeth one day 
5> 6 ' above another; another esteemeth every day alike. 
— He has consented, that they might be left to 
their own choice : and regard the day to the 
Lord ; or not regard it, and that also to the Lord ; 
with the same sincere intention to please and 
honour him, and with the very same success. 

Weak and scrupulous minds might be allowed 
to satisfy themselves, by retaining these remnants 
of the religion of times past ; and the God of the 
spirits of all flesh would behold their mistake 
with pity, and their sincerity with approbation i 
1 Cor.viii. but persons of more knowledge, and a maturer age 
Hebr v * n Christ, would easily perceive that they were 
14. set at liberty from such ceremonies, and would 
be thankful for it ; finding them now insipid*, 
and being desirous of stronger food, of spiritual 
doctrines, and a more reasonable service 5 a wor- 
ship, which they might be allowed to perform 
Hebr. vi. within the Veil, approaching nearer to God's 
presence, illuminated more fully by his Spirit* 
gPeti.4. and partakers even of h\% Divine Nature. 

But 



SERMON VII. 



£97 



But though the Sabbath, in all its strictness, 
was a ritual institution, a sign, as it is written, Exod, 
between Almighty God and the children of ^zei.xL 
Israel ; the seventh day was sanctified from the 
beginning of the world. 

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished ', ^ e |' il,lj 
and all the host of them. And on the seventh day 
God ended his work which he had made : and he 
rested on the seventh day from all his work which 
he had made. And God blessed the seventh day 9 
and sanctified it : because that in it he had rested 
from his work, which God created and made. 

How pleasing is it to observe the divine sim- 
plicity of the most ancient, and yet unequalled 
historian ! that perfect propriety, which is the 
genuine mark of truth and nature, and which 
art cannot reach ! And God blessed tlie seventh- 
day, and sanctified it. This is all. Nothing 
more, you see, was originally enjoined to man 
than this, that he should esteem the seventh day 
blessed and sanctified. Not a word is added ; not 
even that he ought to rest from his labour on 
that day ; though this is a circumstance, to 
which the historian's attention, one would think, 
should have been naturally led, by the reason 
which he himself adds : God blessed the seventh 
day, and sanctified it ; because that in it he had 
rested f rom all his work* which God created and 
rnade- 

Whea 



29S SERMON VIE 

When the precept was afterwards delivered to 
the Jews, it is expressed very differently: Six 
days shalt thou labour, and do all that thou hast 
to do ; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the 
Lord thy God. In it thou shalt not do any work, 
thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manser- 
vant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor the 
stranger that is within thy gates. 

Here you observe, the seventh day is styled a 
Sabbath : and this idea of rest from labour swal- 
lows up every other consideration, and engrosses 
the commandment. 

Whatever honour God commands to be paid 
to himself, it is all required for the sake of the 
worshipper. Rest was now become a relief ne- 

Gen iii cessar 7 to fallen man, condemned to eat bread 

i. in the sweat of his face. 

&s, IB.' -^ ut wnen tne seventh day w T as first blessed 
and sanctified, he was not yet driven forth from 
the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence 
he xvas taken ; nor that ground yet cursed, to 
bring forth thorns and thistles to him. His daily 
task was pleasure ; exceeded only by the joy he 
felt at the weekly return of his thanksgivings. 

Happy state of innocence and ease, from 
which we fell in Adam ! 

i Cor. xv. But, as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall 

22. all be made alive. There remaineth yet a rest for 

9, * ' the people of God* 



SERMON VII. 



299 



This life is to us the six days of labour 9 and 
Heaven our everlasting Sabbath, Let us labour Heb. fe 
therefore to enter into that rest ils 

Driven out from the seat of bliss by cheru- 
bim s and a flaming sword, condemned to strug- 
gle through the thorny wilderness of this world, 
and eat our bread in sorrow till we return to dust. Gen. ill 
we yet look for a better country, that is, an hea- jJebr^ xr 
verily ; & happier Eden gained by the second 16. 
Adam, and to be lost no more. To him that B,evAl7n 
overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, 
which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. 



SERMON 



SERMON VIII. 



Fourth Commandment. Part II. 
REV. i. 10. 

I WAS IN THE SPIRIT ON THE L0RD*S DAY. 

Whatever be our opinion concerning 
the Sabbath, suppose we were never bound to 
keep it, or are set free from it ever so fully j we 
may still be subject to another appointment of 
a nature so similar, as to contain that which was 
most valuable in the first. Our Christian Liberty 
surely is not a freedom from the worship of 
Almighty God, nor from all external forms ap- 
pertaining to it; since it cannot well subsist, 

and cannot at all be public, without some of *^ bl V 

1 xiu. 15. 

them. 

Even we have a sacrifice to offer, that of praise Hebn x ° 

. 12. 

to God continually, the jrvit of our lips, giving 
thanks to his name. 

We have that one sacrifice, that was offered for kukexxu. 
sins for ever, to commemorate^ till he come again 
who offered it : This do in remembrance of me. \§ ox% Xh 
Ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. 

Circumcisim 



302 



SERMON VIII. 



i Cor.vii. Circumcision indeed is nothing, mid uncircwnz 
Mark xvi. cision is nothing, but the keeping of the command- 
\ 6 - ments of God • yet even Christians have a com- 

Actsx.48. J 

Matth. mand, not only to believe, but to be baptized in 
xxviii.19. the name Q j the Lordt 

Colos. ii. 1° ^ke manner, although no man may now 
J ^ judge us, in respect of the Sabbath ; yet must we 
be very inattentive to overlook, and highly 
culpable if we disregard, the great authorities 
on which the institution of the Lord's day is 
founded, and the many obligations we are under 
to the observance of it. 

In the first place, this Festival hath been kept 
by the whole church of Christ, in all ages : It 
hath been observed in every nation where the 
gospel hath been planted, and can be traced up 
to the first sources of Christianity. Its very 
antiquity must render it venerable. Is it not 
natural to regard with respect, that which hath 
received so much honour ? Are we not afraid to 
violate what hath been always held sacred ? at 
least, methinks, till we have well inquired whe- 
ther the appointment, which has'met with so ge- 
neral an approbation, were not built on great au~ 
thority, or good reasons ? 

We shall find, that it was founded upon both. 
There are not wanting passages even in the 
Scriptures, from which it may be inferred, that 
the religious celebration of the Lord's Day was 

ordered 



SERMON YIIL 303 

ordered by the apostles, and authorised by the 
miraculous presence of our Lord himself. 

The same day at evening, being the first day ofjdim xx 
the week, when the doors were shut where the dis- 19# 
ciples were assembled, came Jesus, and stood in the 
midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 

And after eight days, again his disciples were v «r. 26. 
within, — then came Jesus, and stood in the midst, 
and said, Peace be unto you.— I need not observe 
to you, that after eight days, in the language of 
Scripture, means on the same day of the week 
following. 

Not only at Jerusalem ; in other parts at a 
great distance, the first Christians, we- find 9 
had soon adopted this holy feast, in imitation 
of the example, or in conformity to the direc- 
tions of those who had converted them ; and 
employed it in the celebration of public worship? 
and in acts of public chanty. We sailed away Acts xk, 
from PhUippi, — and came unto them to Troas .■«— ^ 
and upon the first day of the week, when the dis- 
ciples came together to break bread, Paul preach- 
ed unto them. 

Now concerning the collections for the saints, 2Co\\%vu 
as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, l> 2 ° 
even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week, let 
every one of you lay by him in store as God hath 
prospered lira : thai there be no gathering when 
I come. 

I John 



SERMON VIII. 



Eev. I. 9* / John was in the Isle thai is called Patmos. for 
the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus 
Christ : I was in the spirit on the Lord's Day, 
To whatever place the apostles and first disci- 
ples of Christ went, or were driven by their ene- 
mies, they carried this rule of their religion 
along with them, to remember the Christian 
Sabbath : their Lord, in commemoration of 
whose resurrection they kept it, continued to 
follow them with tokens of his approbation and 
presence \ accepting the day which they had 
dedicated to him, and had distinguished by his 
name : I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day. 

Nor is it of no moment, that the observance 
of the Lord's Day has the sanction of civil au- 
thority, What though the penalties are not 
often exacted ? Much guilt may be incurred, 
where there is little danger of punishment. 

But the danger is not little, for to violate the 
just laws of the community, is an offence against. 

Kom. xliL God, the source of all power, the supreme Head 

ls of all magistrates ; who is pleased alike with the 

right use of the authority he hath delegated, and 
with a due subjection to it. Him at least we 
cannot offend with impunity : and were it not 
that the Christian Sabbath claims, as you have 
seen, an original higher than human, there could 
be no instance in which we are more plainly 

i Pet. ii. bound to submit to the ordinance of mm 9 for the 
Lord's sake. 

The 



SERMON VIII. 



The institution of this weekly festival, both as 
a day of devotion and of relief from labour, is 
evidently and greatly beneficial. 

To what other cause can we ascribe that de- 
gree of knowledge and civility found amongst 
the vulgar ? who make the bulk of mankind ; 
and would make a greater, and a much worse, 
part of the world than they do, were it not for 
the observance of this or some such festival. 

It is an institution much in favour of the m-, 
Jerior part of our species in another respect 
also ; as it checks that inequality which is per- 
petually growing up among men ; and which is 
useful indeed while confined within due bounds, 
but easily degenerates into tyranny and servi- 
tude - 9 detrimental to both parties, and to the 
one surely the greatest calamity on earth. 

This day probably preserves Religion in the 
world. 

Without the assignment of some particular 
times, either by authority or custom, for the wor- 
ship of God, and the celebration of religious 
rites, it is not at all incredible that Christianity 
itself, long before our days, and all knowledge, 
and thought even of a Supreme Being, might have 
perished from the face of the earth. 

Duties, which men are left at liberty to dis- 
charge at what time they please, soon come to 
be utterly neglected. Of all those great mim« 
X bers* 



SOS 



SERMON VI1L 



bers, who cannot be prevailed on to worship 
their Creator upon the solemn day set apart for 
that purpose, there are, we apprehend, exceed- 
ingly few, who find it more convenient to do it 
on any other. 

No. Although we must acknowledge, that our 
places of public worship are found to contain 
some perhaps hypocritical persons, who aim at no 
more than the shew of piety ; crowds of thought* 
less people, who come without any the least de- 
sign relative to piety ; no small number of luke- 
warm and irresolute Christians, whose lives fall 
short not only of their professions, but of their 
own wishes and intentions ; and in general too 
many wicked persons of every class, who join 
no devotion to their prayers, or no virtue to their 
devotion : yet though multitudes of bad men be 
in the church, the good are all there. Rarely is 
it found, that those who give not this specimen 
of their piety, either shew their religion in other 
instances, or an eminent degree of virtue in a?iy. 
Of all the motives to a good life, none comes 
up to the fear of God. The morality, that is 
universal and durable, springs from the root of 
Religion. 

Possible it is, no doubt, to be too scrupulous 
in our regard to this, or any other of the exter- 
nal forms of piety. But there is a great diffe- 
rence between a freedom from a groundless 

anxiety, 



SERMON VliL 



anxiety, and an insensibility to religious im- 
pressions : Which latter, whether it be the 
greater fault or not, appears to be much the 
more common : and therefore it is more neces- 
sary to caution men against it, and to avoid it. 

Whatever may be the case in other countries^ 
or may have been even here formerly ; in this 
nation, and in our days, superstition, however 
bad a thing, is not very terrible. The danger 
is almost wholly from irreligion. There are vast 
numbers who absent themselves from the public 
worship without any reason, for one who has 
good reason to be absent, and yet attends it* 
Generally, when we neglect the Lord's Day, it 
is owing to some little call of business, or plea- 
sure, or perhaps to mere indolence ; and not to 
the greater respect we have for any superior 
duties. These can be our excuse only when we 
are employed in them. What is it to us, that 
God Will hare mercy rather than sacrifice, when M 
we give him neither ? 

Exact rules cannot be laid down concerning 
this, or many other things, so as to include all 
persons and cases. 

I cannot presume to prescribe to any other 
person, what sum of money he shall give away 
in charity, or what persons in particular he must 
make the objects of it : yet alms-giving is never- 
theless a necessary duty; and ? as we may see by 
X 2 our 



308 



SERMON VIII. 



our Lord's account of the last judgement, it will 
be fatal to have neglected it. 

It will be hardly said to me, that I am oblige 
ed to attend the public worship of God, every 
time when it is possible ; or even always when I 
might do it without very considerable incon- 
venience. It must be left to myself to be 
the judge ; and it may be difficult to censure 
me safely in any particular instance. And yet 
surely I may make myself highly culpable upon 
the whole. A total neglect is scarce consistent 
with the bare pfofessim of Christianity ; and a 
backwardness in this attendance is a sign of a 
cold regard to its interests, and a slender pro- 
ficiency in its power and spirit. 

Who will presume to specify what exercises, 
visits, Occupations, except those prohibited by 
law, are inconsistent with the decent, godly, and 
reasonable observance of the Lord's Day ; or 
how great a portion of it every Christian is 
bound to consecrate to acts of piety, and em- 
ploy in the public or private duties of religion? 
The determination, if it were made, would not 
be the same for all, nor for the same person up- 
on all occasions. And in any instance it w T ould 
allow some latitude. 

What may we hence infer ? That there is no- 
thing wrong ? That we are at full liberty, with 
respect to this branch of our conduct, to act 

just 



SERMON VIII. 



just as we shall think fit, or rather as we may 
fancy? That engagements, at the best of no use, 
and amusements hardly innocent upon any day 9 
may yet engross and fill that time, which by the 
laws and customs of our country, and by the 
practice and injunctions of the Christian church, 
in all nations, and from the first ages of it, has 
been set apart, for the purposes of cultivating 
piety, and giving honour to Almighty God ? If 
the Scriptures were silent ; if there were no 
traces of this custom in the practice of the 
apostles, who indeed gave all their time to re- 
ligion, and continued daily with one accord in the 
temple ; I had almost added, if there were no re- 
vealed religion upon earth, this day is now, by 
so many reasons, so long a prescription, and for 
such important purposes, appropriated and con- 
secrated to God, that it is a sacrilege to profane it. 

Let me just add, that to the inferior part of 
mankind this institution of the Lord's Day 3 
though intended even chiefly for their advan- 
tage, is most dangerous. In this it but resembles 
many other means of grace, which being mis- 
applied, become pernicious. Some rich men, it 
is probable, had been happier if they had been 
born to labour : and the poor sometimes find 
reason to wish they had no day at their own 
disposal. Brought to the most deplorable end, 
and become examples, and a spectacle for the 

X 3 good 



510 



SERMON VIII. 



good only of others, they have been heard to ao 
knowledge, with their dying breath, that their first 
engagements ininiquity were contracted at a time 
when they were, too much, alas I for them, their 
own masters on the Lord's Day : they were cor- 
rupted and undone by the abuse of God's mercy, 
and the very means which he had appointed for 
their amendment and salvation* 



SERMON 



SERMON IX, 



Fifth Commandment. Part I. 
EXOD. xx. 12. 

HONOUR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER : THAT 
THY DAYS MAY EE LONG IN THE LAND WHICH 
THE LORD THY GOD GIVETH THEE. 

There is some diversity, it seems, in the 
arrangement of the commandments. They are 
divided into ten after a different manner by Ca- 
tholics and Protestants ; and distributed different- 
ly into two tables by Jezcs and Christians. The T |? e ^ 

7th 8th 

order also of some of them is a little altered in in the 
the old Greek translation. But in every distri- s . e P tua - 

J gmt. 
bution and division, among the persons of all 

persuasions, and in all languages, the precept 
now before us, Honour thy father and thy mother, 
is always ranked immediately after those which 
set forth our duty to Almighty God. The or- 
der in this instance is so natural and undeniable, 
that neither design nor accident has ever dis- 

X 4 turbed 



SERMON IX. 



tui bed it. After that entire and boundless obe^ 
dience and veneration due from all to God, the 
next degree of respect and reverence is that due 
from children to their parents. 

The relation between the Creator and his crea^ 
lures admits, in strictness of no comparison; yet 
when he is pleased to represent himself to us 
under notions accommodated to our capacity, 
there is not any character he assumes more fre- 
quently or willingly, than this of a parent. No 
resemblance can exactly set before us his nature 
or operations, what he is in himself, or what he 
is to us ; but this, we may presume, has in it the 
least impropriety. He not only condescends to 
take the title, but claims, and as it were glories 
in it; calling at the same time for all those senti- 
ments and returns from us, which are suitable to 
that relation. — One God and Father of all. — God 

Eph.iv.6. the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him. 

i Cor.vni. We have had Jathers of our flesh, which corrected 

Hebr. xii. us ^ anc i ^ce gave them reverence; shall we not 
much rather he in subjection to the Father of spi- 
rits % — A son honoureth his father, and a servant 

Mai. i. 6. his master ; if then I be a father, where is mine 
honour ? 

What great respect must be due from us to 
■that character, which the Supreme Nature has 
chosen to be the representation of his own ! The 
authority of afathercan be seen in, no fairer view. 



SERMON IX. 



than by this reflected light. When you look on 
the parental power, you behold the image of the 
divine. 

Not that we are obliged to have recourse to 
metaphors, and oblique arguments, on this sub- 
ject. The duty of children towards their pa- 
rents is bound upon them by the most immediate 
and obvious, as well as the most powerful and 
Indispensable obligations. 

In the first place, here is the command of Al- 
mighty God : Honour thy father and thy mother. 
What need of reasoning to evince our obligation? 
or what room for evasion, if w T e could be willing 
to disown it ? 

Secondly, The command is express. What 
we are to do in the other instances, is left to be 
inferred : and in direct terms w r e are only warn- 
ed to avoid that which is wrong. Thou shall 
hare no other gods before me. — Thou shdltnotmahe 
unto thee any graven image. — Thou shalt not take 
the name of the Lord thy God in vain. — And 
even the fourth commandment wears the same 
form of prohibition. Remember the Sabbath day 
to keep it holy. — How ? in it thou shalt not do any 
Work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter.— And 
so throughout the other table. In this instance 
alone, not content with his usual style, the di- 
vine Lawgiver has added force to the precept^ 
hv a manner of speaking more cogent and posi- 
tive \ 



SERMON IX. 



live: Honour thy father and thy mother. Neglect 
in this case is against the very letter of the law ; 
and he who does not exert himself in the keep- 
ing of this commandment, breaks it. 
Colos,iii, It is repeated also, and enforced in the New 
Testament. Children, obey your parents in all 
things; for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. 
Our Saviour has shewn great respect to this com- 
mandment, not only by observing it, being sub- 
ject to his parents, the one of them only so called^ 
and the other honoured above all human creatures 
in -being so ; but also restoring it, when it was 
degraded, to its proper rank, and declaring it to 
be indispensable. Alms to the poor, no doubt* 
are good ; the support of God's temple and wor- 
ship was certainly acceptable to him y but ever} 
such valuable things as these, he has taught us, 
Matth. are to give place to others yet more necessary, 
set. 4,5,6. Q ac i commanded, saying, Honour thy father and 
mother : hut ye say, Whosoever shall say to his 
father or mother, It is a gift by whatsoever thou 
mightest be profited by me ; that is, I have given 
to God what might have relieved my parents ; 
and honour not his father or his mother, he shall 
be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of 
God of none effect by your tradition. Acts of 
charity and devotion are not well timed, when 
they obstruct us in this duty. God will accept 
of nothing, till we have paid this necessary debt 

at 



SERMON IX. 



315 



at home : and when we divert even to sacred uses 
what is required for the relief and comfort of a 
parent in want, the ho]y treasury is defiled by our 
gifts, and the offensive offering. 

But though Almighty God will not allow any 
honour offered to himself to excuse the neglect of 
our parents ; yet our kindness to them will stand 
us in great stead, when he calls us to account 
for our forgetfulness of Him, and visits us for 
our transgressions. Hear me your father, O chil* EcdK iiL 
dren, and do thereafter, that ye may be safe. For 
the Lord hath given the father honour over the chil- 
dren, and hath confirmed the authority of the 
mother over the sons. Whoso honoureih his father 
maheth an atonement for his sins : and he that 
honoureth his mother, is as one that layeth up 
treasure, — My son, help thy father in his age, 
and grieve him not as long as he liveth. And if 
his understanding fail, have patience "with him ; 
and despise him not when thou art in thy full 
strength. For the relieving of thy father shall 
not be forgotten ; — in the day of thy qfflictio?i it 
sliall be remembered ; thy sins also shall melt 
away, as the ice in the fair warm weather. 

But we are not left to rely wholly on the autho- 
rity of the Son of Sirach, or of any man ; God 
himself, in the express words of this command- 
ment, has been pleased to promise, that he will 
bkss those that keep it ; and this in a manner 

peculiar 



516 



SERMON IX. 



peculiar and remarkable. Honour thy father and 
thy mother ; that thy days may be long upon the 
land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. The 
long and happy possession of the land of Ca- 
naan, was the reward proposed to the Jews for 
Pent. v. the keeping of all God's commandments. You 
shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God 
hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that 
it may he well with you, and that ye may prolong 
your days in the land which ye shall possess. And 
yet, in the solemn delivery of the ten command- 
ments, the reward is not subjoined to the whole, 
but annexed, it seems, to one distinguished pre- 
cept ; as if respect to this one of the divine laws 
had a superior efficacy in drawing down that 
blessing, which indeed was only due to the ob- 
servance of all. 

Nor is this reward a consideration of no weight 
even to Christians, 

First, Children that obey their parents are the 
most likely to do well and prosper, to live long 
and happily according to the natural course of 
things. The whole of life is apt to take its co- 
lour from the employment of our youth ; and 
that employment of it which is the most agree- 
able to our parents, will commonly be most to 
our advantage. 

Secondly, St Paul alleges as obligatory and 
vet in force this very commandment, with the 

promise 



SERMON IX, Ul 

promise annexed to it. Honour thy father and E p' n < 
mother, which is the first commandment with pro- ~ 3 
mise, that it may he well with thee, and thou may- 
est live long upon the earth. — Dutiful children 
may yet hope for the blessing of God even in 
this life : he still interposes in favour of those 
who are obedient to this commandment. 

Thirdly, Or suppose the rewards offered to 
Christians were only the blessings of the world to 
come ; the promise here subjoined to this com- 
mandment may still be made use of, and applied 
with great j ustness for their encouragement. Is 
it of no consequence, to know what virtues are 
most acceptable in the sight of God, because he 
reserves his recompence to the day of judgment ? 
If obedience to parents was entitled to an emi- 
nent share of God's favour, when the tokens of 
it were temporal ; may we not trust, that he 
still views this amiable virtue with the same eye ; 
and will distinguish it in a proportionable degree, 
but with much greater honour, when he makes us 
citizens of the New Jerusalem, and receives us 
into everlasting habitations f 

Lastly, As the willing observance of this law 
is peculiarly pleasing to Almighty God, so the 
violation of it is eminently offensive to Him ? 
and will be attended or followed by an exempla- 
ry vengeance. 

According to the law of Mo>es ? to which our 

Saviour 



318 



SERMON IX. 



Saviour refers us, -a signal outrage against parents 
Matth. wag ca pj ta | B q 0( i commanded, saying, Honour 
Exod. thy father and mother : and he that cur seth father 
xxl1 * 17 * or mother, let him die the death. 
Deut. If a man. have a stubborn and rebellious son, 
^ is. ^f// ?zo ^ ^ fj ie voice of his father, or the 

voice of his mother, and that "when they have 
chastened him, mil not hearken unto them ;—all 
the men of his city shall stone him with stones that 
he die : so shall thou put evil away from among 
you. 

Just so in the case of idolatry and blasphemy. 

Deut 

xvii 2 If there be found among you man or woman, that 
& c - hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped 
them — thou shall stone them with stones, till they 
die : so thou shalt put away the evil from among 
Levit. you, He that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, 
shall surely be put to death, and all the congrega- 
tion shall certainly stone him. 

And no wonder that the punishment is the 
Ecdus.iii. same, when the offences are so much alike. He 
lb - thatforsaketh his father, is as a blasphemer. 

St Paul, loo, seems to acknowledge the affi- 
nity between these two vices, by his arrangc- 
2Tim.iii. ment of the offenders, blasphemers, disobedient 
to payments. 

Is there need of more ? The command is ex- 
press ; the sanction great, on both sides; the re- 
ward distinguished $ the condemnation dreadful, 

and 



SERMON IX, 



319 



and yet equitable : The conscience even of the 
transgressor cannot but approve of it. He that 
is hard-hearted to hirn that begat, and her that 
bare him, to whom will he be good ? What 
crimes will he not in time commit, who begins 
with this ? and what punishment may he not 
grow up to suffer ? The eye that mocketh at Prov, 
his father, and despiseth to obey his mother, the xxx * 3 
ravens of the valley shall pick it out, and the young 
eagles shall eat it. 

And in fact, what confession is more just, or 
indeed more frequent, in those who are brought 
to an ignominious end, than this, That they 
begun their course of iniquity at home, in an ob« 
stinate ungovernable disposition, and disobe- 
dience to their parents ? The progress after this 
was natural, through every vice, to that fatal 
crime to be now expiated ; and yet perhaps not 
expiated, even by their blood; through every 
danger to this awful moment, when they find 
Almighty God faithful at least in his threaten- 
ings. They are snatched away in the midst, 
in the beginning often of their days ; gathering 
thus the first bitter fruits of disobedience, and 
looking for the full vintage hereafter, in eter- 
nal death. 



SERMON 



SERMON X. 



Fifth Commandment. Part IL 
EPHES. vi. 1. 

CHILDREN, OBEY YOUR PARENTS IN TKE LORD; FOR. 
TillS IS RIGHT. 

As the duty of cliildren to parents is enjoined 
in the clearest manner, and under the strongest 
sanction, by the Law of God; so it is also requir- 
ed by, what is indeed the Law of God too, the 
voice of Nature, Reason, and Humanity. 

You observe haw the young of animals appear 
to be committed by Nature to the care and pro- 
tection of their parents: They have continual 
recourse to them in their wants and fears, and 
conform instantly to every intimation of such 
lawful guides and governors. The parents ac- 
cordingly, on the other hand, are in a most 
wonderful manner both disposed to undertake 
this trust, and enabled to execute it. 

These ties, we see,, are first formed by the 
hand of nature : and the child, that endeavours 
to break loose from this regular d open dance and 

Y subjection* 



SERMON X. 



subjection, opposes the order instituted by Pro- 
vidence, and the course of things. He can find 
no example in any other species, to countenance 
his unnatural wilfulness \ and the voice of every 
creature upon earth cries out against him, and 
condemns him. 

But Reason also in the human species is on the 
same side, and strengthens the ties of Nature* 
Regard to the public and our own welfare will 
prescribe the same conduct, to which we are al- 
ready prompted by prior motives : nor is this 
argument above the capacity of those it is ad- 
dressed to. Even a child may soon perceive so 
much, that he is not so wise as his parents : That 
if he follow his own fancy in opposition to their 
judgment, it is very likely, both that he will do 
mischief, and have cause himself to repent it. 

For, together with the superiority of their un- 
derstanding, he will observe also the tenderness 
of their affection. Their advice, he must soon 
be sensible, is sincere and honest and disinter- 
ested. His other counsellors, (and his passio?is 
are to be reckoned among the number,) may be 
his enemies ; and generally they are at best but 
their own friends. But his parents, he may be 
very sure, will be faithful to him. Theirs are 
the counsels of kindness, and their reproofs the 
effects, and very often the best tokens of it- 
There can be no difference between him and 

them, 



SERMON X. 



$2$ 



them, but about the means : the thing aimed at 
on both sides is the same ; it is his welfare, ho- 
nour, and happiness. They would be glad to 
gratify even his humour, but they prefer his last- 
ing good. No other consideration, but the view 
of his advantage, could prevail with them to of* 
fend hirn. 

This affection which your parents bear to- 
wards you, and the great good they have done 
you in consequence of it, give them still an- 
other title to your consideration and respect, a 
right to be regarded by you for their own sake* 
And if in some instances you were persuaded, 
and truly too, that their counsels were not the 
most advantageous, this would not immediately 
exempt you from all obligation to comply with 
them. Gratitude, and some tenderness surely on 
your part, in return for so much on their's, must 
be allowed to have weight, and come in to supply 
the place of more selfish considerations. Must 
your own satisfaction be the end of all your 
measures? or rather, cannot yon receive satisfac- 
tion from the gratification of others ? Will it af- 
ford you no pleasure, to give it to your best 
friends and greatest benefactors? You may part 
with something, were it to the mistakes of such 
persons ; and exchange, with no great loss, your 
o wn desires for t his pleasure of pleasing. 

Conscience, it is acknowledged, you are not to 
X 2 give 



SREMON X. 



give up to any. Neither father nor mother 
must prevail with you to be wicked, and to dis- 
obey your Creator. Nor will they tempt you 
to do it. The injunctions of parents are of an- 
other sort, the same with the commands of your 
heavenly Father ; to be good Christians, to be 
diligent, sober, honest men. Lay aside your 
apprehensions : I take upon me to be responsi- 
ble for it, that you will meet with little difficul- 
ty on this head y but have full scope to oblige 
and please both your father and mother, with- 
out the danger of violating any one of God's 
commandments. 

If the two parents themselves be divided in 
their sentiments, the preference is due to him ? 
to whom even the other parent is bound to be 
subject. But they are not apt to be divided, or 
mistaken in these cases \ not in their advice to 
their children, however they may in their own 
practice. Even parents, who cannot prevail up« 
on themselves to be virtuous and good, would 
yet wish, and will kindly and wisely exhort their 
children to deserve that character. There is 
no envy in their hearts : they will be glad to see 
themselves excelled by you as far as you please: 
and their advice will be safe, though their ex- 
ample may be dangerous. 

Would then the pow r er of parents, but for that 
one limitation, be absolutely boundless ? Is there 

nothing 



SERMON X. 



nothing that can possibly be brought into com- 
petition with it, besides the command of Al- 
mighty God ? Can no advantage be so great, no 
inconvenience so pressing, as to counterba- 
lance it ? 

Before a child is yet arrived at the age of dis- 
cretion, which he must be content to estimate by 
the kms and customs of his count rv : while he 
is in the family, or educated under the direc- 
tion, and maintained by the substance of his pa- 
rents, his obedience may be unreserved. He can 
hardly exceed in it. Their authority is then at 
the highest, and then also of the greatest ne- 
cessity and use to him. 

Afterwards, and always, it will indeed be great, 
but not absolute ; and let .me have leave to tell 
you, your reasons and objections, whenever you 
dispute it, ought to satisfy not only yourselves, 
but wise and good men, disinterested, without 
prejudice, and well acquainted with both sides 
of the question. Otherwise, if you dare not, or 
if you do not advise with these, but think pro- 
per to consult your own sense only, the pre- 
sumption lies against you. Without entering 
into the particulars, it is probable you are in the 
wrong. There are a great many instances of 
nndutiful behaviour and blameable disobedience 
to parents, for one on the other , hand, where 

Y 3 their 



SERMON X. 



their authority is patiently submitted to, when it 
ought in reason to be rejected. 

The case of all the most perplexing, as well 
as most frequent, is that of marriage.— If it be 
left to the discretion of every young man him- 
self, as soon as ever he is of the legitimate age, 
(for till then we can give no ear at all to his 
pretensions,) that discretion may but ill deserve 
the name. His judgment will be apt to follow 
the verdict of his inclination's ; the fancy wil^ 
raise a number of impregnable arguments, yield- 
ing to nothing but Experience : and this will 
come too late to be of use to him. — On the 
other hand, the reasons of convenience, interest, 
and advancement, by which parents are often 
determined, though considerable, do not seem 
to be decisive alone. Even the more important 
recommendations of character and temper are 
yet hardly sufficient, except they receive some 
enforcement from the usual partiality of affection. 
This indeed may be excited, where it is not; and 
such amiable qualities are the most likely to ex- 
cite it : it may also be extinguished where it is \ 
and will almost certainly for the want of them. 

So that perhaps no general rule for this case 
will be binding in every instance. A kind fa- 
ther will make great condescensions ; a prudent 
child will be cautious how far he proceeds in 
mch connections, without the approbation of 

his 



SERMON X. 



Iiis parents*; and he is an obedient son indeed, 
and a pattern of filial duty, who sets the re- 
membrance of benefits past above the expecta- 
tion of pleasure to come ; prefers the comfort 
and satisfaction of those to whom he has owed 
so much, before his own most impetuous desires; 
and gives freely to his gratitude , the triumph 
over his love. 

The other instances of duty to parents will 
not be difficult, either to understand, or indeed 
to practise. The obligation is more evident and 
indisputable, and the performance easy and 
pleasant. A respectful, and obliging, and kind 
behaviour towards them upon all common occa- 
sions^ and in the coarse of your ordinary con- 
cerns and conversation, as it is plainly right, so 
will it be agreeable to the dictates of your own 
heart. You see it is the least that can be due 5 ~ 
and though you pay it, if it be with reluctance, 
it is some discredit to you. 

But there may be two occasions, which how- 
ever widely different, yet both call for the great- 
est degree of this ceremonious attention, and 
the most studied respect. The one is, when 
some duty to God, or your country, or some 
private interest, plain, just, and no less import- 
ant, interferes with your obedience. You are 
then to soften the asperity of what you do, by 
the gentlest zcords, and by all other honest 

X 4 means* 



SERMON X. 



means. Condescend to request, if that will help, 
even what is most your oivn. Accept as a token 
of favour what cannot h£ denied. Disapprove 
with great civility, or silence. When it is im- 
possible to grant, it may yet not be necessary to 
refuse. But the practice of this part of your 
duty will hardly ever be called for, except per* 
haps sometimes in the case of a parent's second 
marriage. 

The other occasion, which, as I said, demands 
from you the greatest tokens of respect and ten- 
derness in your behaviour to your parents, is 
when they labour under infirmities of body or 
mind, and in the time of their extreme old age. 
You will then double all your tender assiduity : 
you will watch their wishes, prevent their de- 
sires, catch every precious opportunity to be 
grateful with an eager sweet attention ; of which 
you will give them a thousand little inestimable 
proofs, which words cannot teach, and not to 
know is criminal ; which require no capacity 
but that of feeling, and are to be understood in 
the heart. 

I do not condescend to mention, that they 
may be in tva?ii : they must not be so, while you 
have any thing, though it were only strength to 
maintain them by your labour. 

But however affluent their fortunes, or libe- 
ral your supplies, they whTalways want, in that 

state 



state of old age and infirmity, an indulgence and 
care which wealth cannot procure ; and which, 
if it could, lose all their value when they are 
purchased. They will look for tokens of your 
kindness, which cannot be received from other 
hands. Their child is still the comfort and de- 
light of their dying eyes ; and no other object 
pleasing. You will be ready to answer such de- 
mands: your heart will correspond to these calls 
of nature. You will be proud of the humblest 
offices, and pleased with the most irksome. 
They cannot give your patience more exercise, 
than you have given theirs. They will not live 
to let you clear your obligations. Pay what 
you can, you will still be debtors. Your felici- 
ty must be singular, or their distress, if you re- 
commence them the tilings that they have done for e cc ] u 
yon. 28 • 

It is written indeed in history, that one wo- 
man, when her aged father was confined in pri- 
son, and like to die by famine there, obtained 
leave of his keepers to visit him once a-day, and 
sustained him with her breast. Filial duty in 
this instance took the place of parental love, and 
taught her in this extremity to become a mother 
to him. 

One writer seems to intimate, that this same Valer 
old man, who had so much comfort in his daugh- MaXl 
V t, had been a voluntary prisoner himself in his 

younger 



SSO SERMON X. 

younger years for his father- How remarkably 
would be fulfilled the words of the wise Jewish 

EeclusiiL writer ! He that honour etli his father, shall have 

& j°y of his own children. 



SERMON 



SERMON XI. 



Fifth Commandment. Part III. 
PROV. x. 1. 

A WISE SON MAKETH A GLAD FATHER. 

There is no period of life, in which it is not 
better and happier to be wise and good, than 
profligate and wicked. For the reason why 
God, who is love and goodness itself, requires 
any thing of us, is because it is suitable to the 
nature he has given us, and for our good. This 
is the general ground of his commands. And if 
in any instances it seem otherwise, it is not so 
in reality ; our true good is not that which ap- 
pears to us as such. In these cases, we are to 
rely on the providence and promises of God. 
Every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, Matt.xi 
or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or child- 2 ^ 
ren, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an 
hundred fold, and shall inherit everlasting life. 

But, though virtue is indeed always perfectly 
reasonable, yet it is most amiable in youth. It 

is 



SERMON XL 



is ever, and in every one, the ohject of our ap- 
probation ; but then especially of our love. 

Decency in men of years is no more than 
what we look for ; the payment as it were of a 
debt. We demand it, in return perhaps for that 
veneration and respect which is given to age, 
and as the natural consequence of the wisdom 
taught by time. 

But when we behold in youth the same degree 
of regularity and piety, which we are wont to ex- 
pect only from the aged ; when we see one, who 
is comparatively but a child, grown up to such a 
height of devout reverence for the Supreme Be- 
ing, such prudent government of himself, and 
exact attention to all the rights and demands of 
other men, as are mostly the product, when they 
are produced at all, of long experience, and the 
labour of years ; his excellent accomplishments 
are the more admirable for being less looked for; 
and the natural gracefulness of youth adds also 
something of its own beauty, and reflects a lustre 
upon every virtue with which itself is adorned. 

Hardly indeed does a late penitent give us, or 
himself, any good proof of the sincerity of his 
repentance, and a true hearty attachment to the 
cause he has at last chosen. May we not surmise 
it possible, that no desire of leading a holy life, 
but the visible approach of death ; not any love 
of God or goodness, but the fear of impending 

torment, 



SERMON XI. 



333 



torment, lias roused him for a moment from his 
lethargy, and awakened him to some little tran- 
sient sense of his condition? and that, were the 
apprehension of danger removed, and his pro- 
spect of life lengthened, he would return with 
greediness to the iniquities of his youth, and lay 
aside his thoughts of religion and the grave to- 
gether. 

Far be it from a preacher of the gospel tG 
teach, that any sinner, who comes to God with 
repentance and faith, can be rejected. But 
habits of evil, by length of time rooted deeply 
into our frame, are not to be torn from us with- 
out so many struggles, and so much pain and 
trouble,, as few or none, upon the trial, mid them- 
selves willing to endure. 

What spectacle more melancholy, than that of 
an old sinner, at last smitten with remorse? be- 
ginning to be sensible of the deformity and dan- 
ger of the course of life he is in, yet unable al- 
most, and not quite willing to forsake it \ under 
a load that sits heavy on him, with just perhaps 
the power, and not the resolution to shake it off; 
fond of his old practices and companions, yet 
wishing a thousand times he had never known 
them ; and afraid of the consequence, which he 
is going forward still to meet : how hard is re- 
pentance! but death is dreadful -.forgive^ hetfies 
to iay, and holds up his shaking hands towards 

heaven - 



SERMON XI. 



heaven i to be forgiven? I must repent : to repent* 
is to offend no more, what pain soever it may 
cost me, to repair all wrongs, restore unfair gains* 
be brought perhaps to want, exposed perhaps to 
infamy. Alas ! who that has done evil long 3 
can at last repent worthily ? how easy to be in- 
nocent ! impossible to become so ! how terrible 
is judgment! how bitter is a true and late re- 
pentance ! 

Poor, unhappy man ! would you envy him his 
meditations ? yet with these fruitless wishes, in- 
effectual efforts, distracted apprehensions, many 
pass into eternity, who might once have been 
eminent saints, with a part of that self-denial, 
which now only disturbs them in their sins, and 
avails nothing to their salvation. 

These are the great arguments, it must be ac- 
knowledged, for an early piety ; and they are 
sufficient surely to recommend it to the choice of 
every young person, that will reflect upon them 
as he ought. 

Yet there is still remaining another motive be- 
sides these ; which, though comparatively small, 
will have some weight, if they who have indeed 
cast off the fear of God, have not lost also the 
sentiments and feelings of men, but remain still 
open to the impressions of humanity and com- 
passion. How happy for both parties ! if some 
youth, careless, I confess, but perhaps not cruel, 

could^ 



SERMON XL 



could be induced to do good to himself for ano- 
ther's sake, and enter immediately on a sober 
and pious life, that his father, or mother, might 
have comfort in him : as it is written, A wise son p iW , x 
maketh a glad father, hut a foolish son is the hea- 
viness of his mother. 

It is a well-known observation, that if you say 
of any person lie is ungrateful, you give him the 
very worst of characters. Whoever is without 
gratitude, is devoid of all virtue. If a man can 
be so insensible and mean, as to forget the law 
of kindness, and break through the strong but 
liberal restraints of love, cunning he may be 
called, but can never be truly wise, or capable 
of any generous or virtuous action; and as little 
indeed of any real piety towards God, for he ^°^ n 
that loveth not his brother, his benefactor, friend, 
father, whom he hath seen ; how can he love God 3 
whom he hath not seen ? 

Now we may venture to assert, that if a man 
has any well-wishers, any benefactors on earth, 
to whom he is bound by indissoluble ties of 
gratitude, his parents are the persons. 

Indeed, one is willing to think, that many of 
those young people whose behaviour is so blame- 
able, are not sensible of the uneasiness it occa- 
sions, nor at all aware how much anguish is en- 
dured on their account. 

They run heedlessly forward in the broad and 

open 



336 



SERMON XL 



open path, and have no thought but of the plea- 
sure they are pursuing. 

Yet stop, young man, we beg, a little, to look 
towards thy poor parents. Think it not too 
much to bestow a moment's reflection upon 
those, who never forgot thee. Recollect what 
they have done for thee. Remember all — all 
indeed thou canst not : alas ! ill had been thy 
lot, had not their care of thee begun before thou 
couldest remember, or know any thing. 

Now so proud, self-willed, inexorable, thou 
couldest then only ask by wailing, and move 
them with thy tears. And they were moved. 
Their heart was touched with thy distress : they 
relieved and watched thy wants, before thou 
knewest thine own necessities or their kindness, 
Thev clothed thee ; thou knewest not that thou 
wast naked: thou askedst not for bread; but 
they fed thee. And ever since, in short, for 
the particulars are too many to be recounted, 
and too many surely to be utterly forgotten, 
it has been the very principal endeavour, em- 
ployment, and study of their lives, to do service 
to thee. 

And remember, for this too is of moment, it 
is all out of pure, unfeigned affection. Other 
! Wends mostly expect their civilities to be repaid, 
and their kind offices returned with interest. 
But parents have no thoughts like these. They 

seek 



SERMON XL * 



seek not thine, but thee* Their regard is real 9 
and hearty, and undesigning. They have no 
reflex views upon themselves, no oblique glances 
towards their own interest. If by all their en- 
deavours they can obtain their child's welfare, 
they arrive at the full accomplishment of their 
wishes. They have no higher object of their 
ambition. Be thou but happy, and they are so. 

And now tell me, — is not something to be 
done, I do not now say for thyself, but for 
them?- If it be too much to desire of thee to 
be good, and wise, and virtuous, and happy for 
thy own sake; yet be happy for their 9 s. Think 
that a sober, upright, and let me add, religious 
life, besides the blessings it will bring upon thy 
own head, will be a fountain of unfailing com- 
fort to thy declining parents, and make the 
heart of the aged sing for joy. 

What shall we say ? Which of these is happier? 
the son, that maketh a glad father? or the father, 
blessed with such a son ? 

Fortunate young man! who hast an heart open 
so early to virtuous delights ; and canst find thy 
own happiness, in returning thy father's blessing 
upon his own head. 

And happy father ! whose years have been 
prolonged, not, as it often happens, to see his 
comforts fall from him one after another, and 
to become at once old and destitute 5 but to 
Z taste 



338 SERMON XL 

taste a new pleasure, not to be found among 
the pleasures of youth, reserved for his age ; to 
reap the harvest of all his cares and labour in 
the duty, affection, and felicity of his dear child. 
His very look bespeaks the inward satisfaction 
of his heart. The infirmities of age sit light on 
him. He feels not the troubles of life : he 
smiles at the approach of death ; sees himself 
still living and honoured in the memory and the 
person of his son, his other, dearer self ; and 
passes down to the receptacle of all living in 
the fulness of content and joy. 

How unlike to this, is the condition of him, 
who has the affliction to be the father of a wick* 
ed offspring ! Poor unhappy man ! no sorrow- 
is like unto thy sorrow. Diseases and death are 
blessings, if compared with the anguish of thy 
heart, when thou seest thy dearest children run 
heedlessly headlong in the ways of sin, forget- 
ful of their parent's counsel, and their own 
happiness. Unfortunate old man ! how often 
does he wish he had never been born, or had 
been cut off before he was a father! No reflect 
tion is able to afford him consolation. He 
grows old betimes: and the afflictions of age 
are doubled on his head. In vain are instru- 
ments of pleasure brought forth. His soul re* 
fuses comfort. Every blessing of life is lost 
upon him. No success is able to give him joy, 



SERMON XI. SS.9 

His triumphs are like that of David : While his 
friends, captains, soldiers, were rending the air 
with the shouts of victory, he, poor conqueror, 
went up, as it is written, to tlie chamber over the o s am . 
gate, and wept : And as he went, thus he said; O xviii * 
my son Absalom! my son, my son Absalom! 
Would God I had died for thee ! O Absalom, my 
son, my son ! 

[ 



Z 2 SERMON 



c\ r 0{ fmd sra 



SERMON XII. 



Fifth Commandment. Part IV* 

EPHES. vi. 4. 

and ye fathers 5 provoke not your children 
to wrath; but bring them up in the nur- 
ture AND ADMONITION OF THE LORD. 

A Barbarous custom prevailed once even 
among the Greek nations, that whenever the 
parents of a child were unwilling to be troubled 
with the care of bringing him up, they took and 
exposed him, as the phrase was % laid and left 
him, as soon as he was born, in some distant so- 
litary place, to die by famine, or to be torn in 
pieces by wild beasts. 

Sometimes it happened, that a traveller hav- 
ing lost his road, or a sportsman in pursuit of 
game, passed that way, took up the infant, and 

maintained him with his own. Which now ofLukt 

36 

these tzcO) to imitate a question of our Lord, 
think ye, was father to the exposed child ? He 
surely that shexved mercy on him. The other 
deserves not the name, nor can claim the rights 

, Z 3 of 



542 



SERMON X1L 



of a parent : He was rather a murderer. And 
if the laws of his country protected him from 
punishment, and the customs of those times 
from shame \ yet by no law certainly of reason 
or religion, can he ever demand duty from his 
son : but is to be excepted out of the number of 
those parents, concerning whom it is command- 
ed, Honour thy father and thy mother. 

Power and prerogatives are for the benefit of 
the possessor only in the second place. The 
good of those who are governed, the service of 
the public, is the principal thing intended. 
This authority of parents, among the rest, as it 
is so considerable, is charged with a proportion- 
able load of obligations ; and must be supported 
by benefits, or at least by kindness, which is a 
disposition to confer them. 

Indeed, to do them justice, parents are not 
commonly deficient in this disposition. They 
should love their children, no doubt ; but they 
do so, and there is no occasion in general to re- 
mind them of it. I do not remember, that this 
duty is commanded any where in the whole 
compass of the Scriptures. Is it therefore un- 
necessary ? God forbid. If any parent should 
feel in his heart, that he is without so natural 
an affection, he ought, (and this is the meaning 
of all other precepts to love any one), to acquire 
and cultivate it by all the ways he can, and 
especially by acting as if he -possessed it, 

But 



SERMON XII. 



But parents do not so often want kindness, as. 
discretion and judgment in the direction of ip 

Sometimes they let their love for their child- 
ren become too strong. And then, as it is very 
'painful to themselves, so it is not for that rea- 
son the more useful, or even acceptable^ to the 
person who is the object of it. But rather it is 
apt to do harm, and create disgust ; and be- 
comes in both these respects, like any other im- 
moderate affection, the cause of its own disap- 
pointment* 

A child certainly has a righ to be beloved : 
and it seems prudent, as it is natural and de- 
lightful, to let him understand that he is so ; to 
the end that his heart too may be touched, that 
he may be influenced in his behaviour towards 
you by the best and most pleasing motive, and 
may rely always with entire confidence on your 
good intentions towards him. 

But still it may not be advisable to make him 
too sensible of his power, lest he should be 
tempted to abuse it* When you have suffered 
him upon a few trials to carry off the victory,, 
against all reason, merely by his importunity ; 
innocent and harmless as you think him, he will 
feel his own importance, and with a wanton fro- 
wardness have recourse to it continually; impe- 
rious in his illegitimate authority ; a tyrant as; 
well as an usurper ; Till at last,|tiot wholly with- 
2 4 o»t 



SERMON XIL 



out eause 5 though with prodigious ingratitude, 
he may impute to you all the calamities that 
follow, upbraiding you with your excess of ten- 
derness, and lamenting in his greatest misery, 
not so much his own obstinate ungovernable 
passions, as the weak and fatal condescension of 
you, who should have ruled him. 

But though restraint and discipline be abso- 
lutely necessary for all young persons without 
exception, yet the same discipline will net be 
proper for all. It is to be accommodated in the 
degree, and duration, to their disposition, age, 
sex, and other considerations. All the hard- 
ships and refusals they are obliged to submit to, 
not only must be necessary for some good end ? 
but should appear to be so, if possible, to them- 
selves. Ruled they must be, or they are ruined 3 
but it should be by reason. Passion must shew 
itself with an ill grace, and ill effect, in the cul- 
tivation of morals ; which consists so very much 
in the restraint and government of the passions. 

Correction is a part of discipline, and comes 
under the same rules. Solomon has expressed 
Prov. xiil. the necessity of it in strong terms : He thai 
spare tk the rod, hateth his son. But though 
you have recourse sometimes even to this token 
of your displeasure ; 'it will be with moderation, 
with temper, after the ineffectual use of other 
applications, and with a zeal, and an apparent 
unwillingness. 

As 



SERMON XII. 



As passion Is improper in the government of 
children, so is 'partiality. It is observed of some 
parents, that they divide their kindness with a 
very unequal hand, treating their children with a 
groundless and disagreeable distinction : inso- 
much that of the one parent it is become almost a 
proverbial saying, that the worse son is the favou- 
rite. It will not however follow, that he has the 
best usage : Indulgence may not prove so. But 
this censure of the partiality of the mother is per- 
haps rather severe ; for if to an equal stock of ori- 
ginal affection for all her sons, you add, what is so 
nearly akin to love, pity, of which profligate 
children will be often the proper objects ; and 
fear, which they will always excite ; what won- 
der that the sensation is quickened ; and such 
tokens of tenderness discovered, as are only to 
be drawn forth by calamities and danger ? 

The maintenance of children is to be suited to 
the station they are likely to appear in, and the 
abilities of the parents. There is a fault both in 
the excess and defect ; and the consequences 
of either may be bad. Yet the rich, methinks* 
should not be excused from some good degree 
of bodily exercise, if their constitution will bear 
it ; nor the poorest left utterly without all learn- 
ing, if their capacity will receive it. 

I must not omit, that the fear of God, and 
^ome instruction in the Christian religion, a re- 
gard 



sermon mm. 



gard to truth and honesty, and a habit of dili- 
gence, are indispensably necessary to all, even 
the poorest children ; and I could add, I doubt, 
that they have have very little taught them. 

For the distribution of your substance, you are 
not to be called to account too strictly : What you 
have to leave behind you, is not to be demanded 
even by your children as a debt ; that part espe- 
cially which is of your own acquisition. You 
will consider however the customs, as well as laws 
of your country ; what will be generally thought 
right, and what yourselves shall be likely to ap- 
prove at your last hour, that your own heart 
may not then condemn you. 

Yet it is not intended to counsel you to an im* 
mediate and final disposal of what you have, even 
to your children : It is one thing to arrange, and 
another to alienate. This latter is not generally 
thought advisable. Gratitude is not found so 
strong a principle, as expectation. And the pa- 
rent, that would be sure of his children's obedi- 
ence, must not only have been very kind to them 3 
but keep it in his power to be so still. The wise 
son of Sirach is uncommonly earnest upon this 

E&lus neac ^ Hear me, O ye great men of the people? 

xxxiiU8. and hearken with your ears, ye rulers of the con- 
gregation. — What is it, that he would introduce 
with so much solemnity ; commanding those in 
authority, and teaching the teachers of man- 
kind ?— 



SERMON XIL 

kind ?— *Ghe not thy son, and wife, thy brother 
and friend, power over thee while thou litest ; 
and give not thy goods to another : lest it repent 
thee, and thou intreat for the same again. As 
long as thou livest, and hast breath in thee, give 
not thyself over to any. 

Yet there is an error on the other side. As 
liberality without measure may be imprudent, 
extreme parsimony would be cruel. Too great 
a depression of those whom you must advance 
at your death, will spoil both the grace and value 
of your gift ; making your heirs unhappy, first 
in the tedious expectation, and then in the awk- 
ward possession of a fortune they were never 
taught to use, or to enjoy. 

Nor sons alone, but daughters, by such ill- 
judged ceconomy, have been greatly injured, and 
have taken a dangerous revenge. They cannot 
indeed be justified, but neither are you excus- 
able; and you should remember, that as you are 
joined in the blame, you will find yourselves cer- 
tainly to partake in the consequences, whatever 
they be. Besides the dishonour, the distress will 
always reach you. Your happiness is involved 
in their' s : You sail on the same bottom. And 
whatever you acquire, or keep, you may appear 
splendid, and be called fortunate ; but you will 
never be happy, while you have children that 
are miserable and infamous, 

But 



SERMON 



XII. 



But if, on the contrary, by your attention, and 
encouragement, by a suitable education, and a 
constant kindness, tempered or rather heighten- 
ed by discretion, you can, with God's blessing, 
make them good ; in the first place, you will do 
them the greatest service that is possible ; se- 
condly, you will discharge your own conscience, 
and acquit yourselves faithfully of the great trust 
reposed in you by Providence ; and lastly, you 
■will reap your reward in their merit, and feel the 
comfort of all their happiness, both in this world 
and that which is to come. Besides the many in- 
stances of gratitude and affection to be expected 
from such children, which may prove to be use- 
ful, and will always be pleasing ; you will parti- 
cipate of all their welfare, reflected, as it were, 
into your own bosom ; as your kindness laid the 
foundation of their felicity, the influence is re- 
ciprocal ; and their virtues, and those of their 
children after them, will to you be matter of 
jPrevxvii. constant and growing satisfaction. Children's 
children are the crown of old men j and the glory 
of children are their fathers. 

There is yet one thing more you are to provide 
for your children, which must not be overlooked ; 
itself one of the most efficacious means of doing 
them service ; and such as may be properly join - 
with every other instance of your attention 
and tenderness : I .mean the silent but persua- 
sive 



SERMON XH. 



349 



sive admonition of your own virtuous life, and 
good example. With what face, or with what 
success, can any one reprimand his family for 
irregularities, which he commits ; or exhort to 
virtues, that he only talks of? Parents, we see^ 
have an additional reason to be religious and ex- 
emplary, over and above the motives that are 
common to all Christians. They cannot do them- 
selves mischief, without great hazard to those 
whom they have brought into the world. Testify 
your affection for your children, in the most im- 
portant instances both to yourselves and them. 
Go before them- in every thing that is good : In- 
struct and lead them, too, in the way to heaven. 
Though poor, youw T ill give them a noble fortune, 
if you teach them to be good Christians. Your 
example may be better to them than an estate. 
But what amends will you make them, by all the 
kindness you can shew, or the possessions you 
may provide, if it should be owing to you, that 
they are cut off at last from the inheritance of 
the saints in light, and condemned to have their 
portion for ever, where shall be weeping and 
gnashing of teeth f 



SERMON 



sSfivfo'J'X 4*5*9*4 j!lw'-^4-0 tiUviM 



SERMON XIII. 



Fifth Commandment, Part V* 
COLOS. iii. 22, 

SERVANTS, OBEY IN ALL THINGS YOUR MASTERS 
ACCORDING TO THE FLESH J NOT WITH EYE-SER- 
VICE, AS MEN-PLEASERS, BUT IN SINGLENESS OF 
HEART, FEARING GOD. 

The Ten Commandments are delivered, most 
of them in few words, with a dignity suited 
to the authority by which they are enjoined, 
and a simplicity answerable to the manners of 
that age when they were spoken. The great 
capital duties of religion and morality are singled 
out and commanded, or rather the violation of 
them is forbidden^ in plain and general terms. A 
fair and honest mind is the best of all interpret- 
ers. He who applies himself to the keeping of 
these few commands with such a disposition, will 
not bejcirfrom the kingdom of God. To persons Marl jd 
of a captious and corrupt temper, no words are 34, 
sufficient \ their prohibition never reaches their 

case 5 



352 



SERMON XIIL 



case ; the command is never binding to them ; 
the whole volume of the scriptures, and all the 
writings of all the moralists in the world, are too 
little to enforce a virtue on a depraved heart, 
and explain what men mil not understand. 

There are two or three duties, which I would 
throw together here, and make the subject of 
one discourse. They are of importance, and one 
or other of them makes part of the duty of most 
persons : it is of little consequence under what 
head they are arranged, provided they be well 
understood and practised. 

Coles, iii. It is written, Children, obey your parents in all 
things: in like manner, and the same words, 

Coios. iii. Servants, obey in all things your masters ; it 
follows* not with an eye-service as men pleasers, 
but in singleness of heart, fearing God : knowing, 
fhat of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the 
inheritance. Obedience and fdelity constitute a 
great part of what is due from a servant ; and 
they are evidently due : obedience is immediately 
Implied in the relation of a servant ; and fidelity 
should accompany all the intercourse between 
man and man* They are plainly reasonable and 
right % and therefore well pleasing to God, as 
the discharge of filial duty is : Secondly, they are 
as plainly required by him \ and so may be ad- 
vanced at the same time into an obedience to 
God also ? and. Thirdly, He promises, we see 5 

himself 



SERMON XIII. 



353 



himself to repay their service, as well as the 
other, of children to their parents, both liberally, 
and in a way peculiarly suitable : Ye shall re- Colos. Hi* 
ceive the reward of the inheritance. 

Your recompence for being good servants to 
men, will be, that you shall become the children 
of God. He will look upon you as his sons : 
You shall be adopted into his family, and made 
heirs of his heavenly kingdom. For there is no Rom. ii. 
respect of persons with him : He is the same Lord ' x ' 
over all. In his eye there is no distinction : 
There is neither bond nor free : He that is called Gal iil. 
in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord 9 s free- ic or .vh\ 
man : likewise also he that is called, being free, is 22 - 
Christ's servant. The highest angels in heaven 
are God's ministers and messengers, and are 
glorious and happy in their obedience : and the 
very meanest of the sons of men, if not wanting 
in the duties of their present station, whatever 
it be, shall be advanced to the same likeness ; 
for tliey are equal unto the Angels, and are the Lukexx. 
children of God, being the children of the resur- 
rection. The lowest offices become the steps of 
our highest advancement. Every station is 
holy, that is filled by a devout person. He who 
doth service as unto the Lord, is as he that mi- 
nistereth at the altar. Though your time and 
hands are taken up, more perhaps than they 
should be, by a hard master, you have your 

A a hearts / 



354. 



SERMON XIII. 



hearts and affections free. Love God, and keep 
his commandments, and your lot is to be en- 
l Pet.i.4. vied. There is reserved in heaven, for you, an 
inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and thatfadeth 
not away. 

l Pet. ». Servants, he subject to your masters with all 
l8 ' fear ; not only to the good and gentle, but also to 
the froward. For this is thank -worthy, if a man 
for conscience toward God endure grief, stiffering 
wrongfully. There is indeed no station of life 5 
in which the virtue of patience will not be much 
wanted. It is very necessary, both for ser- 
vants and masters ; though the former are called 
to exercise it in a peculiar manner. But still 
there are two considerations, that will make 
some difference in this duty. 

First, Servants are of different degrees : some 
of them are entertained for particular purposes, 
expressed, or well understood on both sides ; 
and if they answer these purposes fairly and 
honestly, they have discharged the duty of their 
service. 

Secondly, No servants now among us are in 
the same condition, that servants were in for- 
merly, and particularly when the Scriptures 
were written ; for these were slaves, and the 
word might properly be translated so. And 
■ therefore, though servants are obliged, no doubt, 
still, and as much as ever they were, to be faith- 
ful 



SERMON XIII. 



355 



fill and honest, not purloining, but shewing all Tit. ii. p, 
good fidelity ; yet they are not bound to all the 
same things, nor for the same time. With us, 
they mostly hire themselves ; and it is to service*, 
not servitude. By the law of the land, they are 
not slaves ; and there is no Christian law, that 
obliges them to become such. Art thou called iCor.vii. 
being a servant, or slave ? care not for it ; but if 21 - 
thou may est be made free, use it rather. 

It is both prudent and right in servants to be 
respectful .also, as w r ell as honest. Wise and 
Christian counsel, is that which is given them 
by the Apostle, if they can, to please their own Tit. ii. 9. 
masters well in all things, not answering again — 
without murmurings, complaints, reluctance, 
which make their service more painful and less 
acceptable. Yet in these countries, where they 
serve only upon agreement, they may certainly 
insist upon the conditions o£ it. 

And though they are obliged, by all the ties 
of reason and religion, and their own interest* 
to behave themselves well in their service ; it 
may be, they are bound by none of these to 
continue in it : and, excepting only the case of 
contracts for a fixed time, and some little re- 
straints also which are established by custom^ 
when they judge that they can be treated with 
more kindness, or receive a better recompence 
from a new master, or in another station, they 
A a 2 are 



556 



SERMON XIII. 



are at liberty to try. Conscience towards God 
i ret. 11. does not oblige them to suffer thus wrongfully ; 
the counsels suggested by prudence, may be 
followed with innocence. 
Eph.vi.9. Andye, masters, do the same thing unto them ; 
— that is, act in the same reasonable and reli- 
gious manner ; be as considerate and equitable, 
as you expect them to be respectful and honest \ 
in one word, be such masters as you would 
wish to meet with if you were servants. For* 
bearing threatening : It is a sign you want skill in 
the art of governing, if you have much occasion 
for severity ; and you must want both religion 
and humanity, if you use it when it is not ne- 
cessary. Take care that none of the offences 
you would correct, nor any other, be any way 
owning to yourselves \ be not partakers of their 
sins, by giving them encouragement or provo- 
cation to commit them, or setting an example 
of them; Knowing that your Master also is in 
heaven. — Knowing this, you need not have re- 
course to imagination, to make you see what is 
reasonable in this case, and induce you to do 
as you would be done to. The supposition that 
you too are servants, is very true : You have a 
master, as well as they, and the same that they 
have ; who will deal fairly by you both, accord- 
ing to your merit, and not rank : and a very 
considerable part -of your merit will consist in 

your 



SERMON XIII. 



357 



your good .behaviour to them. You shall nie^t 
from God with the mercy you show, at the 
time when you will want it. But if you be 
injurious and oppressive, if you be lordly, and 
insolent, and inhuman ; it had been better you 
had been born to beg, or that you had never 
been born* Your dead body will be buried 
with a little more ceremony than their's ; and 
there ends all your glory : The grave is the con- 
cluding scene of earthly greatness : The rich man Luke xvi, 
died, and was buried. Then a different pros- 
pect opens : And in hell he lift up his eyes, be- ver. 23. 
ing in torments, and seeth Abraham ajar off, and 
Lazarus in his bosom. There will be an exchange 
of station in the world to come: Many that Mark x> 
are first, shall be last ; and the last, first 31 ' 

Princes, Magistrates, Superiors of every sort, 
have a right to respect and honour, and to obe- 
dience, according to their place, and their rela- 
tion to us, and the laws of that civil society in 
which we live. These duties, resembling so 
nearly what we owe to our parents, rank easily 
under the same rule. The relation has been 
often expressed by the same name ; and the 
obligations are similar. Moses said unto the Numb.xi. 
Lord, Wherefore hast thou afflicted thy servant, 11 > &c * 
that thou layest the burden of all this people upon 
me ? have I conceived all this people ? have I be- 
gotten them} that thou shoiddest say unto me, Carry 
A a 3 them 



35$ 



SERMON XIII. 



them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth the 
sucking child ? The senators of Rome were al- 
ways addressed by the name of Fathers ; and 
the Emperors did more frequently receive, than 
deserve, the title of the fathers of their country, 
Christianity makes no alteration in these duties, 
on either side ; but only enforces them more 
strongly ; and disposes men better to the dis- 
charge of them ; by turning their thoughts from 
those objects, which occasion competitions and 

Hebr.xii. jealousies among worldly-minded persons, to the 

22 } 23. c ' lt y G j fj ie lining God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to 
an innumerable company of angels, to the general 
assembly and church of the first-born, "which are 
written in heaven, and to God the judge of all. 

Even age alone gives a kind of superiority ; 
and, as some little balance to many disadvan- 
tages, carries an allowed claim to respect. 

Gen. Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou ? 

xlvn. 9- And Jacob said, The days of the years of my pil- 
grimage are an hundred and thirty years : And 

Hebr. vii. Jacob blessed Pharaoh. And without all contra- 
diction, as the Apostle argues, the less is blessed 

Levit.xix. of the better. Thou shall rise up, says the law 
of Moses, before the hoary head, and honour the 
face of the old man. The Apostle Peter com- 

lPet.v.5. mands. Ye younger, submit yourselves unto the 
elder. And the Roman Poet tells us, that in the 

virtuous 



SERMON XIII. 



S59 



virtuous times of that commonwealth, it would 
have been esteemed a capital crime not to rise 
up with reverence to an aged person. 

Lastly, There is also a respect and reverence 
due, as well as maintenance, to the ministers of 
the church. Ministers they call themselves, and 
they are willing to be : not only the ministers of 
God, as magistrates are styled, but even your 2Cor.iv.5. 
servants also for Jesus' sake. But the people, on 
the other hand, will look upon them, as indeed 
they are named in Scripture, as rulers and fa- 1 Tim. v. 
thers. — This is a subject which appears to dis- \^q oy iy< 
advantage in our hands. Let this be the only 15. 
competition between us, who shall be the most 2 
submissive and most serviceable. Yea, all of i Pet. v. 5. 
you be subject one to another, and be clothed with 
humility ; for God resisteth the proud, and give th 
grace to the humble. 



A a 4 



SERMON XIV 



Sixth Commandment. Part I. 
EXOD. xx, 13. 

THOU SHALT NOT KILL. 

Where no law is, there is no transgression • Rom. \v a 

1 5 

For sin is the transgression of the law. But it x j^.^ 
is by no means necessary, that this law should 4, 
be pronounced in audible sounds by the mouth 
of God, or engraved in stone by his ringer. It 
may be woven into the frame of our nature, and 
written mjleshty tables of the heart ; as many of 2Cor.iii. 
God's laws, which are also commanded in Scrip- °* 
ture, evidently are : and these are binding to men 
of all nations and every age. The ancient patri- 
archs, so far as they were not taught by revela- 
tion, and other persons before the law of Moses 
was delivered, and the Gentiles to whom it was 
not given, were a law unto themselves : the law R m, ii. 
was legible in their hearts ; and according as 14 * 
they observed or transgressed it, their own con- 
science acquitted or condemned them. 

Take for an example the first sin of which we 
have any account, after the fall, committed by 
the very first man born into the world, and no less 

a 



362 



SERMON XIV. 



a sin than the murder of his brother. How quick 
is the progress man is able to make in evil ! ma- 
ture in the infancy of the world, and advanced to 
the utmost pitch of guilHn his first efforts ! Not 5 
however, without some sentiments of shame, and 
an inward natural sense of the authority of the 
law, though it was not yet either pronounced or 
written. 

iren. 11. To Adam indeed it was said, Of the tree of 
the knowledge of good and evil, thou shall not eat 
of it The prohibition w T as plain ; and if the 
criminals endeavoured to hide themselves among 
the trees, their ignorance may be wondered at 5 
but their confusion was natural. 

Murder was not forbidden, till after it had been 
committed. God had never said to Cain, as far as 
we know, Thou shalt not Jail : Yet was he very 
sensible he had done wrong ; and he prevari- 
cates, dissembles, and denies it, with a mixture 
of meanness and insolence, the natural attend- 

Gen.iv.9. ants of conscious guilt. Where is Abel thy bro- 
ther ? I know not : am I my brother's keeper ? 

There seems to have been another murder 
committed, before there was a law against it. 
And in that instance also, the criminal was sen- 
sible he had done amiss ; and appears to feel 
and suffer the very stroke which he had given. 

Gen. iv. Hear my voice, ye reives of Lamech, hearken unto 
my speech ; for I have slain a man to my wound- 
ing, and a young man to my hurt. 

Immediately 



SERMON XIV. 



363 



Immediately after the flood, the law against 
murder was delivered expressly, with the penalty 
of death annexed to it. And the sixth of the ten. 
commandments is but a repetition, or rather an 
epitome, of that original law which was given 
to Noah and his sons, and in them to all the 
world : Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man Gen.ix.6- 
shall his blood be shed : for in the image of God 
made he man. 

God is a spirit ; and a spirit hath not flesh and John iv, 
bones. So far we have the words of our Lord for £^" ke 
our guide. Hence we learn, that this image of xxiv - 3 9- 
God which is in man, doth not consist in the form 
of his body, nor any property of bones and flesh. 
Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves, for Deut - iv - 
ye saiv no maimer of similitude on the day that ' * 
the Lord spake unto you ; lest ye corrupt your- 
selves, and make you a graven image, the simili- 
tude of any figure, the likeness of male or female. 

Neither can this image of God in man consist 
in any original, but now no longer existing, qua- 
lities of mind, which Adam might possess before 
the fall, and lose with his innocence ; since we 
find it is still, even after the flood, assigned as a 
reason against murder, or an argument of the 
great guilt of it. Surely your blood of your lives Gen.ix.5, 
will I require : at the hand of every man's hro- ^ 
ther will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth 
man's blood, by man shall his Mocd be shed ; for 

in 



SERMON XIV. 



in the image of God made he man. If this image, 
whatever it be, were extinct and lost, it could 
n o longer be defaced ; and consequently could 
not now be brought in to constitute or aggra- 
vate the guilt of murder. 

Yet it appears to be something which is not in 
other creatures. Of all the animals upon earth, 
it is in man alone. This may be gathered from the 
manner in which this expression is introduced, 
both in the history of the creation, and after the 

Gen.i.25, flood. An dGod made the beast of the earth after 
his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every 
thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind* 
And God said, Let us make man in our image, 
after our likeness ; and let them have dominion 
over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the 
air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth. — 

Gen.Ix.l, And God blessed Noah, and his sons, and said, 
7 he fear of you, and the dread of you, shall 
be upon every beast of the earth, and fowl of 
the air ; into your hand are they delivered: every 
moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you. 
And surely your blood of your lives will I require ; 
at the hand of every beast will I require it, and 
at the hand of man i whoso sheddeth man's blood, 
by man shall his blood be shed : for in the image of 
God made he man. 

The sum of these three observations amounts 
only to this, That the Divine Image in man is to 
be looked for among the endowments of mind 

now 



SERMON XIV. 



565 



now existing in the human race, and not pos- 
sessed by the brute creation. 

Now in which of them soever this resemblance 
lies, or be it that it consists in more particulars 
than one ; whether it be placed in the reason of 
man, which raises him so much above the other 
creatures, and has been called even by heathens 
a ray of the Divinity ; or in the necessary conse- 
quence of that reason, conscience, the perception of 
moral differences, the power of discerning what is 
right and wrong, a faculty among all the creatures 
on earth peculiar to man alone; or were it to con- 
sist in the dominion, delegated to him by God 
over the earth and its inhabitants, and possessed 
in a considerable degree by means of his supe- 
rior understanding ; let this Divine image be 
placed in which of these particulars you please, or 
all of them together, it will still constitute, so long 
as it is still subsisting, a just argument against the 
commission of murder. The guilt is increased by 
this consideration ; and the injury done to man^ 
becomes also impiety against God. He who de- 
faces the copy, would attack the original, we 
may presume, were it placed within his reach : 
and it is not right, but power only, that protects 
even the Omnipotent upon his throne, when his 
representative is assaulted with such audacious 
and profane outrage. Every sin is a violation 
of God's law, an act of disobedience to the Su- 
preme Lawgiver ; but this is an offence that ap- 
proaches 



SERMON' XIV. 



preaches nearer to Him, and becomes, as it were, 
a personal indignity* 

The injury which is done to man by the sin 
of murder, is of the largest size ; and in this re- 
spect too, the horrid crime before us has many 
great, and some peculiar aggravations. 

In the first place, It is an offence against the 
state. The loss of a citizen is a misfortune to the 
public : the riches, strength, and glory of a 
prince, consist in the number of his subjects : 
and is it a wonder, if he is the most implacable 
in his resentment against those who rob him of 
his principal treasure ? 

Murder is a disturbance of the public peace ; 
and the greatest invasion of those rights which 
it is the very end of civil society to protect. 

As the baleful influence of this crime extends 
to the prince and the state in general ; so its ve- 
nom is felt by many private persons at once, with 
peculiar anguish ; the wrong being by no means 
confined to the unhappy person who is the more 
immediate sufferer. He at least is out of the 
reach of further violence ; and knows not the 
affliction of the widow, the orphan, or the child- 
Jess parent, who survive to more lasting sorrow. 

A son or husband, a father or friend, taken 
away by the course of nature, by the hand of 
Providence, in some distressful cases, and to ten- 
der minds, has been found an affliction too heavy 
to be borne • and a second funeral has followed 

through 



SERMON XIV. 



367 



through excessive sorrow for the first. How 
greatly the anguish must be aggravated, and 
every sting of grief sharpened, when the stroke 
is unjust and bloody — may we never know ! 

To the person himself who suffers this extreme 
violence, the injury is the highest of all that can 
possibly be offered. The murderer takes away > 
all the blessings of this world at once, and the 
times and means also which God had gracious- 
ly granted of making preparation for another. 
He cuts me off perhaps while my repentance is 
y et imperfect, in my most unthinking hour ; and 
with one blow consigns, it may be, txvo immor- 
tal souls to perdition. 

Oh ! let us be always ready ; for at an hoar Luke xii. 
when we think not, our Lord comelh. 

Let us be always ready ; and leave it in the 
power of no man ever to do us such injury; that 
our greatest enemies, when they have us most 
in their hands, may be able only to kill the body. Luke xii. 

We take away the sting of death, and escape 4 ' 
the cruellest part of their malice, if we die pre- 
pared for judgment. 

Let us be always ready ; and reap this benefit 
even from the vices of men : let the wickedness 
of others induce us to be the more earnest and 
early in every tiling that is good ; then will the 
fruit be sweet, though the root is bitter. 

Happy for us ! if by any means, and urged by 
any arguments, we be but prevailed upon to live 

well \ 



368 



SERMON XIV. 



well ; If we have such a sense, either of the dig- 
nity of man's nature, made in the image of God, 
or on the other hand of the frailty of our state, 
and the dangers that surround us on every side, 
as to be induced to make God our friend, and 
to take to ourselves the shield of faith and heU 

Eph. vi. met of salvation; armour that will quench the 

1 ' 17 ' f er y darts of our worst adversary. 

He was a murderer from the beginning: his 
wiles brought death into the world : and he still 

iPet.v. 8. goeth about, seeking whom he may devour. If we 
suffer ourselves to be overcome by this enemy, 
the mischief is indeed irreparable. 

The murderer, who takes my life, is utterly 
unable to make restitution : God however, I 
know, will raise me from the dead at the last 
day, and clothe me with a body no longer liable 
to dissolution. But if I be then found to be 

Eph.ii. l. dead in trespasses and sins, there remains no 
future resurrection from that death, but an end- 
less state of despair and torment. 

Let us therefore be always prepared, and so 

Luke xxi. that day shall never come upon us unawares. 

34?. 

Nevertheless, as death is naturally terrible, and 
this life is the time God hath granted us to pre- 
pare by his grace for a better ; we may very ra- 
tionally, and let us now devoutly, beseech Him 
to deliver us from lightning and tempest ; from 
plague, pestilence, and famine ; from battle, arid 
murder ; and from sudden death. 

SERMON 



SERMON XV. 



Sixth Commandment. Part II. 
MATTH. xv. 19, 20. 

OUT THE HEART PROCEED EVIL THOUGHTS, 

MURDERS. 

T^AKE now thy son, thine only son, and offer Gen.xxm 
him for a burnt-offering. — And Abraham stretched 9 
forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. 
— He did no more; he was stopped by an angel. 
The outward act was not brought to the expect- 
ed end : but in the will his obedience was com- 
plete and perfect ; and accepted accordingly by 
the righteous Judge, who knoweth the heart, 
and calleth those things which be not, as though ^° m - 1Vo 
they were. By myself have I sworn, saith the Gen. xxii. 
Lord, because thou hast done this thing, and hast ^ 17 " 
not withheld thy son, thine only son ; that in bless- 
zng I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will 
multiply thy seed, as the stars of heaven, and as 
the sand which is upon the seashore ;—and in thy 
seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, 
because thou hast obeyed my voice. If he had 
B b been 



310 



SERMON XV. 



been suffered to proceed further, and finish the 
action he had undertaken, his service had been 
but the same and would have merited no great* 
er recompense : His mind was wholly consent- 
ing to the sacrifice that was required of him. 
The will before God is the deed : and the 
James ii. question is properly asked by the apostle, Was 
21 * not Abraham our father justified by works, when 
he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar ? 
But then, as it is an advantage to good men 
i Sam. to be tried by a judge, who seeth not as man seeth y 
ii\ 7 *- but is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of 

Hebr. jv, y b u 

12, the heart: so, on the other hand, by parity of 
reason, we must acknowledge, that we shall be 
condemned justly before the same tribunal for 
the wickedness of our will \ and that whenever 
we but attempt to do evil, with God it is exe» 
cuted. 

When the three Jews were cast by the king 
of Babylon into the fiery furnace ; as they were 
Dan. iii. martyrs, he was a murderer ; though on their 
bodies the jire had no power, nor was an hair of 
their head singed, neither were their coats chang- 
ed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. 

If the wickedness he in the intention only* 
and have not broken out into an attempt ; yet is 
it even then to be looked upon as accomplish* 
ed : for the mind is the man > and his merit or 
guilt, whatever it be, is all there \ it has no 
other habitation, nor existence. 

It 



SERMON XV. m 

It is possible, you will say, he may be touch- 
ed with remorse, and repent of his wickedness 
before the commission of it : but repentance 
implies guilt ; and if it be sincere, is, through 
God's goodness in Christ Jesus, always entitled 
to mercy. 

If you reply, that a greater obstinacy in evil 
may be necessary to carry us through the exe- 
cution of a wicked action, than what is implied 
in the mere intention ; you say what may be 
true sometimes ; and when it is, God knows, 
And he also knows, when the same external 
act, in two criminals, is attended with different 
degrees of aggravation. 

Not only the attempt, and intention, the very 
wish to do wickedness, is wicked. The thought p r - oy 
of foolishness is sin. Whosoever looketh on a xxiv. p. 

, . Matt. tf. 

woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery 28< 
with her already, in his heart Whosoever hateih 1John ; - : 
his brother, is a murderer : Whosoever is angry 15. 
without a cause, shall be in danger of the judgment ^ altIu 

Ah ! who may stand in thy sight, O Lord ; IxxvF. 
thou, who art of purer eyes than to behold iniqui- jj a |, t } 3 
ty? The heart is deceitful above all things, and Jer - xvii « 
desperately wicked: Yet thou seest its secret 
thoughts, and the inmost recesses of its malig- 
nity. How shall we appear in thy presence, or 
lift up our eyes, and such hearts to thee ? let 
us adopt the confession of thy holy prophet : O j) an , * x 
B b 2 Lord, 



512 



SERMON XV. 



Lord, the great and dreadful God, we have sinned 
and committed iniquity, and have done wickedly^ 
and have rebelled, even by departing from thy 
precepts, and thy judgments: O Lord, righteous- 
ness belongeth unto thee ; bat unto us confusion of 
face. 

Rom. iii. Thus every mouth must be stopped, and all the 
1 ^ 20 * world become guilty before God ;for by the law is 
the knowledge of sin; by that law especially, 
which makes the look only of lust to be adulte- 
ry \ and malice, murder. 

But as guilt may be incurred by evil thoughts 
and designs ; so actions may be performed ma- 
terially evil, without deserving censure. 

It is not murder to kill a man in the just de- 
fence of yourself, or of another, from some great 
violence : the blood of him that is slain is upon 
his own head, if his hand was lifted up to shed 
blood. 

The same may be said of that blood which is 
Deut. spilt in the legal execution of justice. If any 
xix. ii. man j ia f e neigfofoQu^ an ^ n e } n wait for him, 

and rise up against him, and smite him mortally 

E ^°^ that he die ; thine eye shall not pity him. — If a 

man come presumptuously upon his neighbour to 

slay him with guile, thou shalt take him from my 

altar, that he may die. The punishment of such 

an offender is so far from bringing upon us, that 

Deut. ^ P 1 ^ 8 away, the guilt of innocent blood. The 
xlx. 12, eifcrs 
is. 



SERMON XV, 



373 



elders of his* city shall deliver him into the hand of 
the avenger ; and thou shalt put axvay the guilt of 
innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well 
with thee. The cruelty in this case were to 
spare ; and mercy were a second murder. Some 
other offences also, though they be less heinous 
than this, it maybe necessary for the public 
good to punish in the same manner ; and there 
are examples of the like salutary severity, among 
the laws that came from God. 

The blood that is shed in war, may also be 
unavoidable : when it is so, God knows, and 
will judge: it is out of our province. A com- 
mon person, in most of these cases, is able to 
frame but very imperfect notions. Put them in Tit. ill, 2. 
mind to be subject to principalities and powers, 
We are not at liberty to censure, when we do 
not understand ; nor al ways, when we do. We 
may lament, however, if we do not condemn the 
slaughter, the butchery of the human race, 
created after the image of God : nay, we may 
condemn it. It can hardly be necessary and 
just on both sides ; perhaps it is on neither: and 
the authors, whosoever they be, must have 
much to answer for. It is boasted of one, that 
in the course of his wars he had slain three mil- 
lions. You cannot compute beforehand how 
much mischief you let loose, when you open the 
doors of war, Happy are we, if we be but sen- 
BbS sible 



374 SERMON XV. 

sible of our happiness, in our pacific employ- 
ments, and inferior stations. How dangerous 
a thing is power ! Success at last how fatal ! It 
had been well for many a conqueror, if he had 
been cut off in his first battle, before he was in- 
toxicated with his victories, or had acquired that 
habitual thirst for the destruction of his fellow- 
creatures, which is called glory, but will cover 
Bev. vi. him with everlasting confusion. / beheld ; and 
14, &c j iearoen d e p ar t ec i, as a scroll, and every moun- 
tain and island were removed out of their places ; 
and the kings of the earth, and the great men, and 
the rich men, and the chief captains, and the migh- 
ty men, hid themselves in the dens, and in the rocks 
of the mountains ; and said to the mountains and 
rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him 
that sitteth on the throne. 

But whatever may be alleged by either party, 
in excuse of these disputes between nations $ 
private war, which is waged between two parti- 
cular members of the same civil community, 
who take the decision of their controversies, 
each of them into his own hand, and commit 
the arbitration of their differences to their own 
sword, must in all cases be looked upon as inde* 
fensible. If we have the benefit of living in so- 
ciety, we must submit to its laws ; and be con- 
tent with the regular and ordinary execution of 
justice,, however imperfect qr difficult to be ob- 

tained* 



SERMON XV, 



tained. There will be danger of great iniquity, 
if we attempt to supply the defects of civil jus- 
tice, and help ourselves to a readier and ampler 
reparation. To say nothing of the breach of 
public peace, and the tumults and disorders 
thence naturally to be expected ; it is not equi- 
table, that a man should be the judge of affronts 
and injuries done to himself : we may be sure^ 
they will be overvalued in such estimation. In 
the eye of the sufferer, and seen through the 
medium of prejudice and self-love, offences soon 
swell to a vast size ; and any little neglect, or 
inconsiderate word, becomes a capital indignity. 

But, besides that Christianity requires of us 
forgiveness to a great extent, reason will not 
authorise the gratification of resentment for its 
own sake : the pleasure of revenge must not be 
allowed to be a just motive to any action. 

The practice here censured is also barbarous, 
a custom unheard of among the wisest and po- 
litest nations. Ancient Greece and Rome were 
strangers to it ; and at this day, it is unknown 
to the most civilized empires in the east. It is 
entirely a Gothic institution j which there is not 
so much as a pretence for retaining now, when 
it is divested of all its authority and form, and 
no longer imagined by any one to be a test of 
right or innocence. 

And even as to courage itself, it does not con- 
B b 4 sist 



SERMON XV. 



sist all surely in quarrelling, but may be found 
in men of humane and gentle dispositions. 
Many have faced an enemy without fear, who 
never killed a friend : and some, who have ac- 
quired applause in these unlawful encounters, 
have nevertheless, in the important hour of au- 
thorised battle, when magnanimity had been in- 
deed a virtue, shrunk into the most abject and 
shameful timidity ; seeking a temporary safety 
in eternal dishonour, and betraying the name 
and glory, the possessions, power, and safety of 
their country. 

There is still remaining one hind of murder 
yet unmentioned ; too shocking indeed to be 
mentioned, and contrary to the first and most 
universal principle in nature, which dictates to 
every creature the defence and preservation of 
itself: a murder, however, which has been but 
too often committed ; and for which our own 
nation is eminently infamous. May God of his 
mercy keep us from the wretched end, and from 
the wicked life, of the two traitors Ahithophel 
and Judas ; from the misery and madness, which 
lead the way to such a desperate act; and the 
unavailing remorse, and everlasting punishment, 
which, it is too probable, must follow! God keep 
us from all our enemies ; and among that num- 
ber, from ourselves! Alas! we are the worst ; the 
only foes ? indeed, by whom we can be thus 

doubly 



SERMON XV. 



doubly injured, and plunged at once into the 
greatest guilt and suffering. A spiteful tongue 
robs us of our reputation, the thief -takes our 
substance, the assassin our life ; these are not 
however the greatest losses : our everlasting 
welfare is put into our own hands, and can never 
be wrested from us without our consent. The 
worst injury a man can suffer, is always his own 
act. Vice is voluntary : and it is this only can 
deprive us of the light of that countenance > "which p s x iiv..&; 
is better than life ; and deliver us up to eternal ixiii ° 4 * 
death; to that outer darkness , where there is weep- Matth, 
ingiy and gnashing of teeth ; where their worm dieth Marklx- 
not> and the fire is not quenched, 



SERMON 



' i 



I 



SERMON XVL 



Seventh Commandment. Part I, 
EXOD. xx. 14. 

THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY. 

The Christian law of marriage, which forbids 
polygamy, and allows not divorce but in the 
case of adultery, may be found perhaps a more 
equitable, and even merciful law, than some 
men seem to think it ; indeed the more merci- 
ful, for those very restraints which appear so 
strict and rigorous. 

Some regulation, it may be presumed, every 
person would acknowledge to be necessary: 
hardly will it be maintained, that there is no 
other rule of chastity than inclination. And if 
we must be confined within some limits, the 
narrowest, in this instance, may be the most 
just, and most commodious. 

In the first place, We may venture to assert, 
that though the Christian precept should not be 
deducible from the light of reason, it is at least 

not 



SERMON XVL 

not contrary to it ; if it be not enjoined by the 
dictates of nature, it is as conformable to them, 
as any other law would be. 
Sum. iv. Marry wives 9 says the law of Mahomet, iwo y 
three, ox four. But why, we may ask, so many ? 
or why no more ? What reason, when we have 
once begun to number, for stopping exactly in 
this place ? Indeed, this precept of the Koran 
lias admitted of a latitude in the interpretation ^ 
and however precise the words of the command, 
the practice is by no means confined within the 
bounds prescribed. 

Secondly, The number of males and females 
brought into the world, according to the course 
of nature established by Almighty God, is not 
greatly unequal : which is some intimation, that 
the allotment he intended, was that of one to 
one. There seems to be no opportunity for 
polygamy, without danger of injustice. 

Experience also strengthens these apprehen- 
sions. In those countries, where the greatest 
latitude is allowed in marriage, there is the 
greatest oppression in government : in order to 
maintain an indulgence, for which nature has 
not made provision, and to secure to a few per- 
sons a licentious intercourse with the other sex, 
a great part of our own is enslaved and mutilated. 

Thirdly, Suppose we knew no more, than that 
Almighty God, in the beginning, made a hu- 
man 



SERMON XVI. 



man pair, one man and one woman, to be the 
parents of the whole race : this single fact, 
would it not be a kind of precept ? an admoni- 
tion to us, what is the most suitable to our na- 
ture, in the estimation of Him that made us ? 

But when we find it the declared will of our 
Creator, that a man shall leave his father and Gen. 
mother^ and shall cleave unto his wife, and they ~ 
shall he onejlesh, we must own it clearly taught ? 
as our Lord himself indeed explains it, that this 
society was originally meant to comprehend but 
two persons, and be completed between them ; 
and that, at the very first marriage, polygamy 
was forbidden. 

Divorce too, at least for every little reason, 
for fancy, disgust, or a new affection, is compre- 
hended under the same prohibition: nothing 
indeed less than unfaithfulness, a violation of 
what is most essential in this contract, it may 
fairly be inferred, will justify the dissolution of 
so strict an union, established by such autho- 
rity. 

Difficulties there will be always : many occa- 
sions of self-denial will meet us, whatever course 
we take ; and they will meet us the oftener, the 
more anxiously we strive to shun them. There 
may also be cases, where particular persons are 
found to suffer by regulations, which yet are for 
the good of the whole : but the question is, 

Whether^ 



SERMON XVL 



Whether, as a general institution, the perpetuity 
of the marriage-contract be not beneficial to 
mankind? 

We have in our composition a principle, to 
which we are much indebted : use makes easy 
to us many things, which we fancy intolerable : 
we learn first to acquiesce in what we cannot 
alter, and then to like what we are accustomed 
to. The desire of change requires some proba- 
bility of success, to keep it alive and active : our 
wishes must be fed with hopes, to become strong 
enough to disturb us : they decay naturally, and 
are extinguished, when we are once thoroughly 
persuaded, that they cannot possibly be grati- 
fied* 

How many desires are thus checked, and 
strangled in the birth, which might have grown 
up to an enormous strength, and proved fatal to 
those that conceived them ! What conflagrations 
had arisen from sparks, which are thus happily 
extinguished ! It is a kindness to keep us back 
from these great dangers ; to shut us up in a se- 
cure and quiet haven ! and not to suffer us to 
expose ourselves to the perilous conflict with 
boisterous passions, and a restless curiosity. 

If we permit fancy to be our leader, there will 
be no end of its rambling : licentiousness knows 
no bounds. Were the laws altered, were Chris** 
tianity abolished, and two, or three, or a great- 
er 



SERMON XVI, 



er number of wives allowed, even this large li* 
berty might prove unsatisfactory. Something 
forbidden will be still left to create a new long- 
ing ; a depraved appetite can find no sweetness, 
but in that which is denied. 

And this disposition is seen in other passions. 

Hainan "went forth joyful, and with a glad heart Esther r. 
But when he saw Mordecai in the king's gate^ 
that he stood not up, nor moved for him, he was 
full of indignation. — And Haman told of the glory 
of his riches, and the multitude of his children, 
and all the things, wherein the king had promoted 
him above the princes and servants of the king* 
— Yet all this availeth me nothing, so long as I 
see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate* 
— One little, insignificant sacrifice, refused to 
his vanity, destroyed the relish of every other 
gratification. To persons, whose minds are en- 
grossed by any excessive passion, the abundance 
they possess is nothing 5 the trifle wanted em- 
ploys all their thoughts. 

Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which 1 Kings 
was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king XXi * 
of Samaria. And Ahab spake unto Naboth, say- 
ing, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for 
a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my 
house; and I will give thee for it a better vineyard 
than it. AndNaboth said, The Lord forbid itme 9 
that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to 

thee. 



1 



SERMON 



XVJ. 



thee. And Ahab came to his house heavy and dis- 
pleased, because of the word which Naboth had 
spoken to him ; and he laid him down upon his 
bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no 
bread.— Shall we only say ? men are found to 
want equally with a great deal, as with a little : 
Or may we not add ? that this very abundance, 
is the real source of their necessities ; or at least 
of the exquisite misery, which they feel under 
them. To fall sick for & garden of herbs, & man 
must be King over ten of the tribes of Israel. 

But we need not go so far for arguments ; or 
illustrate the insatiable nature of one irregular 
desire, by comparisons drawn from others : let 
us venture nearer to our subject y and take one 
example from Scripture, out of many, of the 
same perverseness, in the very passion we are 
treating of. 

2 Sam. There were two men in one city ; the one rich, and 
the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many 
flocks and herds ; but the poor man had nothing, save 
one little ewe-lamb, which he had bought and nourish- 
ed up ; and it grew up together with him and with 
his children ; it did eat of his own meat, and drank 
of h's own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was un- 
to him as a daughter. And there came a traveller 
nnto the rich man ; and he spared to take of his own 
Jlock, and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfar- 
ing man that came vnto him ; but took the poor man's 

lamb 3 



SERMON XVI. 



famb, and dressed it for ins man thai was come to 
him. 

The offender in this sad, cruel instance, had 
already many, both wives and concubines. But 
all is too little. Nothing is acceptable, but the 
wife of another man, a faithful subject, a brave 
soldier, absent from his own family, enduring 
hardships, and braving death in his service. 

The allowance of polygamy and concubinage, 
as we see by this example, is no security against 
the sin of adultery ; and perhaps might not so 
much as lessen the temptation to it* For al- 
though it is very possible, that these liberties 
might prevent the transgression, in some parti- 
cular instances ; yet they might also, on the 
other hand, create or inflame that vehemence of 
a pampered appetite, and rage of roving fancy, 
which is so unreasonable and dangerous, and is 
never to be satisfied with indulgence. Did ever 
a miser long less for gold, because he had already 
too much ? Did ever an ambitious man arrive at 
the extent of his wishes ? He imagines perhaps, 
that he sees some end of his desires ; and that 
the next accession of power, which he has in 
view, shall be the utmost he will ever aim at : 
but he finds, that the horizon retires before him ? 
and will stand still only when he ceases to pur- 
sue it. 

Nothing has been said of that perpetual uh- 

C c certainty 



386 



SERMON XVI. 



Certainty and disquiet, those jealousies and con- 
tests, those innumerable and endless distrac- 
tions, which will be found attendants on polyga- 
my and divorce ; except you imitate the ex- 
ample of those nations, who seclude the whole 
female sex, in a manner, from all society with 
the other ; and keep them imprisoned, like 
slaves or criminals ; adding thus cruelty to un- 
kindness, and maintaining injustice by tyranny. 

But, to conclude with what was observed be- 
fore, irregularity has naturally no limits : one 
excess draws on another ; indeed, in all vices 
whatever, but in none more eminently than in 
that corrupt disposition which we are now con- 
sidering. Observe how some of the fairest fruits 
are easily preserved in perfect soundness ; but 
when once they are touched and tainted with 
the slightest beginnings of decay, how hastily, 
in spite of all your efforts, they dissolve into 
rottenness. The most easy, therefore, as well 
as the most excellent way of being virtuous, is 
to be so entirely. 

Impetuous appetite and blind fancy must be 
3topt in the career, or they will hurry us to de- 
struction : it is our highest wisdom to restrain 
them, before they have carried us a single step 
beyond the line of innocence and safety. 



SERMON 



SERMON XVII. 



Seventh Commandment. Part IL 
l PETER ii. 11. 

DEARLY BELOVED, I BESEECH YOU, AS STRANGERS 
AND PILGRIMS, ABSTAIN FROM FLESHLY LUSTS. 

It is very proper to examine into the reasons, 
and see the utility of the precepts of Christia- 
nity. Not that our compliance is always to de- 
pend upon the issue of such inquiries. We are 
not in the place of lawgivers, but subjects \ and 
may have a very sufficient reason for our obe- 
dience, though we should discern none for the 
commandment. 

Most of the Christian laws indeed are plainly 
the laws of reason and nature : the very same 
things precisely are enjoined, which would have 
been our duty, had the Gospel been silent. If 
there be any difference between them, there is 
no contradiction. Christianity never requires 
any thing, which is forbidden by the voice of 
nature ; never forbids, what that enjoins : yet it 
may command certain actions, concerningwhich 
C c 2 the 



588 SERMON XVII. 

the law of nature is silent j or it may prohibit, 
what that permits. 

Nor let it appear strange that there are duties, 
which, though conformable to our best reason, 
seem not rigorously prescribed and commanded 
by it ; virtues, which the law of nature would 
rather applaud, than require ; and restraints, 
which, like a tender guardian, she may not 
chuse to impose, but would be well pleased to 
see us submit to. 

The doctrines of Christianity, such as the suf- 
ferings and death of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, 
and the clear prospect of happiness or misery 
after death to all eternity, tend to turn away 
our thoughts and cares from this present world : 
and can it be any wonder, if some of its precepts 
be found to exact a greater degree of disregard 
for the things on earth, and of affection for those 
above, than what was either likely to be found, 
or was generally called for, under less enlighten- 

Actsxvii. ed dispensations? The times of heathen ignorance 
God winked at. To the Jews he gave some pre- 
cepts, because they were not then able to bear 

Matth. v. better : but now he commandeth all men every 
where to repent ; and to be perfect, even as their 
Father in heaven is perfect. 

Matth. Because erf the hardness of your hearts, Moses, 

six. 8. suffered you to put away your wives : but from the 
beginning it was not so > Before the food, we 

read 



SERMON XVII. 



read but of- one person who had two wives : 
some of the Patriarchs took more. The Jewish 
law was very favourable to the men ; if liberty 
in this case be a favour. Not that every liberty, 
seemingly allowed by it, was therefore always 
innocent. There is room for great wrong with., 
in the letter of the law. And after all the con- 
cessions of Moses in favour of divorce, we find 
one of the Prophets altogether condemning the 
w r hole practice : Take heed, — and let none deal Mai. 
treacherously against the wife of his youth ;for the 
Lord, the God of Israel saith, that he liateth put- 
ting away. 

Among the Greeks and Romans, though the 
law T s, or at least the practice, might be different 
at different periods of time ; yet in general, Po- 
lygamy was forbidden, Divorce allowed : and 
even the women were admitted to the participa- 
tion of this liberty; as is indeed implied in that 
passage of St. Paul, where he dissuades both 
parties from the use of it. 

If any brother hath a wife, that helieveth not, i Cor 
and she he pleased to dwell with him, let him not 12} 
flit her away. And the woman which hath an 
husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to 
dwell with her, let her not leave him. Yet in the 
early and most virtuous times of the Romans % 
to the credit of the republic, no man ever was 
C c 3 known 
f Plutarch, in Theseus and Romulus. 



*™ SERMON XVII. 

known to put away his wife ; no woman attempt- 
ed to leave her husband. 

* The sister of Herod the Great, is said to 
have been the first woman among the Jews, that 
took upon her to divorce her husband ; learning 
this lesson from the Greeks and Romans. 

But whatever liberty the laws of particular 
nations, or that of nature, might allow, the Chris- 

i Cor. vii. tian rule is this, To avoid fornication , let every 
man have his own wife, and every woman have her 
own husband :—let not the wife depart from her 
husband, and let not the husband put away his wife. 

The punishment of adultery, by the laws of 
many civilized nations, and even by the divine 
law given to the Jews, was death; and that to 

Dent, both the parties concerned in the offence. If 
a man be found lying with a woman, married to a 
husband, then they shall both of them die. 'Let us 
not imagine the guilt to be no longer the same, 
because the penalty is apparently lessened ; it is 
not lessened, but only delayed, and reserved to 
be inflicted with more certainty and severity by 

Hebr. other hands : whoremongers and adulterers God 
will judge. 

By the Christian law, fornication is forbidden, 
iThes.iv. as we ]| as adultery. For this is the will of God, 
that ye should abstain from fornication. 

We 



* Joseph. Antiq. Jutl. Lib. 15. c. 7. — ^%%it fib «50vs 



SERMON XVII. 



591 



We need not proceed to enumerate other trans- 
gressions of Christian chastity, less or greater 
than these ; or compute the degrees of aggrava- 
tion that may be in each of them. He is the 
wisest, in this case, who is the most ignorant. It 
were some offence, to look narrowly into such 
subjects : and of what use, alas ! to adjust the 
difference of vices, which are all inconsistent 
with a state of salvation ? For hear the sentence 
of the great apostle : Now the works of the Jlesh Gal.v.19. 
are manifest, which are these ; adultery, fornica- &c * 
Hon, uncleanness, lasciviousness, — and such like : 
of the which I tell you before, as I have also told 
you in time past, that they which do such things, 
shall not inhert the kingdom of God. — For this ye Ephes. v. 
know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, ' 
hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ, and 
of God. And then, to cut short all disputes on 
this subject, and stop at once the mouths of 
such cavillers, who are furnished with objections 
by their lusts, and find it easier to argue than 
obey ; he adds, Let no man deceive you with vain Ephes, y, 
words, for because of these things cometh the wrath 
of God upon the children of disobedience, 

In the sin of adultery 9 indeed, there are many 
great aggravations of guilt. The wrong is not 
only grievous, but irreparable. 

It is an ungenerous thing, and the sign of a 
merciless, and therefore mean disposition, for 
Cs4 the 



* 



S92 



SERMON XVII. 



the gratification of a wanton appetite, to rob an 
innocent man, perhaps a neighbour, perhaps a 
friend, of the comfort and happiness of all his 
life. 

It is an affront and insult ; to be computed 
according to the estimation of the sufferer. 
Such dishonour is death to him, and may be so 
to you ; at least if the person, whom you thus 
injure, have no greater government of his pas- 
sions, than what he may learn from your ex- 
ProY. y1. ample : For jealousy is the rage of a man > there- 
fore he tviffl not spare in the day of vengeance. 

There is also perjury in adultery ; it is the 
breach and violation both of a contract and a 
vow : it is an offence directly against God, as 
well as man ; and at the same time, and in a 
high degree, both immoral and impious. 

But the greatness of one vice is no vindica- 
tion of another. The practice, and I had al- 
most said trade. j which is carried on by the dis- 
solute, of seducing, betraying, and consigning 
to infamy and wretchedness, the young, the in- 
nocent, and unwary, has guilt enough of its own, 
without entering into comparisons to render it 
truly diabolical. 

Every species of impurity hath its peculiar 
features of malignity; all sufficiently odious 
and detestable. Let them dispute among them- 
selves the shameful pre-eminence ; turn we our 

e\ es 



SERMON XVII. 



393 



eyes away from such objects; and let us beseech 
Almighty God, to pour into our hearts the Zeis- James Hi. 
dom that is from above, which is first pure then x< " 
peaceable : that we may each of us know how to 
ptossess this vessel of the body in sanctification 1 Thess, 
and honour ; not in the lust of concupiscence, as 
those that know not God: that we maybe the 
temple of the Holy Ghost ; that he may delight 
to dwell in us^ and that we may never incur the 
punishment denounced in that awful threaten- 
ing, If any man defile the temple of God 9 him shall i Cor. in, 
God destroy. 



SERMON 



SERMON XVIII. 



Eighth Commandment. Part L 
EXOD. xx. 15. 

THOU SHALT NOT STEAL. 

But, what ! is thy servant a dog ? said Hazael 2 Kings 
to the weeping prophet, who was recounting to ig ' 
him the instances of his future cruelty : I know 
the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel; 
their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and 
wilt dash their children, and rip up their women 
with child : And he said, But, what I is thy ser- 
vant a dog, that he shoidd do this? 

When we are to address ourselves to a con- 
gregation of Christians, and especially to per- 
sons of some rank or character, of a birth or 
education above the level of the vulgar; and we 
produce with all solemnity, for the subject of 
our counsels, such a passage of Scripture as this, 
Thou shalt not steal ; a spark of displeasure may 
possibly be awakened in a person disposed to 
take offence, Am I a dog, that I should do this ? 

Are 



SERMON XVIII. 



Are we fallen so very low in the estimation of 
the preacher ? are we thought not only so de- 
praved and wicked, but so mean and base, as to 
stand in need of exhortations to honesty, and a 
discourse against theft? Room there is enough 
for our amendment ; but we are clear at least of 
this contemptible sin, and in no danger, we 
should presume, of oifending against the eighth 
commandment. 

The commandments are conceived mostly in 
concise terms % but the meaning is extensive. 
When we read, Thou shall not deal, all manner 
of injustice and wrong, every thing contrary to 
any law, divine or human, to reason, religion, 
or humanity, affecting the property of another, 
is to be understood as forbidden : and if we fol- 
low this idea but a little way, we shall find, that 
to steal is a thing more common in the world 
than is supposed ; and that those persons many 
times, who are shocked at the word, are yet in- 
timate with the offence, and deeply guilty of the 
very crime which they abhor. 

To rob, you will acknowledge, is a vice that 
ranks with great propriety under this class : the 
injury is not the less, because it is attended with 
violence. There are some remains of shame, 
and fear, the two guardians of virtue, in those 
who pilfer only in private ; and are not yet 
hardened to such a degree, as to offer open 
wrong, and avow their injustice, 



SERMON XVIII. 



But robbery also you detest, as much as theft ; 
and find as little occasion upon this head, either 
for reproof or counsel. 1 — It is true ; in private 
persons, and in little instances, this vice too is dis- 
honourable : but is it always esteemed so in cases 
of greater consequence, and where it is worse ? 
The plundering of a province shall be a famous 
exploit, when that of a single house is a capital 
crime : and the invasion of a kingdom, though 
founded in wrong, and accompanied with] ter- 
rible barbarities, yet takes its name from the 
event, and if it be successful, is always glorious. 

But neither shall we need to dwell upon this 
particular. It is a transgression of the law now 
before us ; but, ' however truly to be lamented, 
and strictly to be answered for, is not likely to 
come into our account. We cannot aspire to 
the commission of such great crimes: it is a guilt 
above the reach of our ambition. And so far it 
is well : Happy were it for us, if either our si- 
tuation or temper, if any principles, or motives, 
or means whatever, would secure us with equal 
efficacy against other vices, or from all other 
transgressions even of this very commandment. 

For, thirdly? as robbery, and that highest 
species of robbery, unjust war, are offences 
against this law ; so is also opjiression, every en- 
croachment of the rich and powerful upon the 

possessions 



398 



SERMON XVIII. 



possessions or services of their inferiors or Ifc- 
pendants. 

And this offence, it is to be feared, may be 
of a complexion more familiar to us. Alas! 
where almost, may we ask, shall we find the per- 
son who will restrain himself when he cannot be 
resisted? who will not lean a little, and be par- 
tial towards his own side, when there is nothing 
but reason to be urged against him ? Here is the 
touchstone of sincerity , the trial of true vir- 
tue. Let me see the man, who can attend 
without a monitor to the whisper of equity ; who 
is an advocate with himself for every one who 
has a claim upon him ; who sees his own cause 
with the same eye with which he looks upon 
that of another ; his own reasons, not magnified 
by self-interest, another person's not diminished 
by inability to maintain them ; who can be op- 
posed by his inferiors, and feel no resentment ; 
speak without harshness, to such as must not 
answer him ; be gentle, where he might be in- 
solent with safety ; civil to those he has oblig- 
ed; pleased with such as have expectations 
from him ; attending to considerations, of which 
he is not to be reminded ; imposing no hard- 
.ships where they must be borne ; and offering 
no insults where they cannot be returned ; in a 
word, give me the, man who finds no inducement 
to do wrong, in the power of dcing it \ and I 

will 



SERMON XVIII. 



will pronounce him a master in all the virtues 

and duties, which belong to the intercourse of 

men with each other : reason requires nothing 

more of him ; and he is perfect in that precept 

of the gospel, which comprehends the law and 

the prophets, Whatsoever ye would that men Matt,vB, 

should do to you, do ye even so to them. J 

But this character, as it is excellent, so is it 
proportionally rare. For, as the apostle asks, 
Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before James ii 
the judgment-seats ? Nor indeed now, to molest 6 ° 
you in the profession of your faith; a point con- 
cerning which they are not apt to be anxious, 
either for you or themselves ; but in your pro- 
perty perhaps, which you are loth to part with. 
The benefit of the laws, in many cases, cannot 
be obtained easily : if you will have justice, you 
must pay for it. When rich men, therefore, 
taking advantage of this difficulty, withhold 
your right, under colour of referring it to the 
law, they rob ; when, under protection of their 
own greatness, or of immunities meant for bet- 
ter purposes, they refuse, or but delay to com- 
ply with the most equitable obligations, they 
steal. 

If magistrates pervert, or refuse, or delay jus- 
tice ; if they sell it, or load it with unnecessary 
expence or difficulties, when it is already so 
grievously overcharged with them 5 their injus- 
tice 



400 



SERMON XVIII, 



tice is worse than that of others, in as much m 
it is aggravated by breach of trust, and treachery j 
it is a robbery committed by a guardian. 

But these acts of oppression, I hope, are m> 
common : there are other abuses of power, of 
an inferior class indeed, and less importance, 
singly taken, but making up, it is to be feared > 
in number what they want in weight. 

For the descent is gradual through the seve- 
ral stations of human life \ there is a continued 
succession and claim of pre-eminence and sub- 
jection down to the very lowest : and when we 
abuse our superiority, of whatever species or 
degree, and have recourse to our own little 
greatness to support us in doing wrong; we 
commit the double offence of dishonesty and 
oppression : and if we take advantage in any 
case of a person's distress and necessities, we 
swell the reckoning yet further, by adding 
cruelty to the number of our transgressions. 

It is a further degree, or even a higher spe- 
cies of oppression, of which some are said to be 
guilty ; not indeed in this island, but in coun- 
tries subject to the government of Great Britain. 
They who are slaves there, if a late Author may 
be credited*, endure a slavery more complete, 

and 

* Account of the European Settlements in America, 



SERMON XVIH.J 401 

and attended with far wmrm circumstances, than 
what any people in their condition suffer in any 
other part of the world, or have suffered in any 
other period of time. — The most consummate 
and perfect example of oppression and inhuma- 
nity has been reserved then, it seems, to be ex- 
hibited in these enlightened times, by the sub- 
jects of this free and Christian nation ! Let us 
turn our eyes for relief to some ordinary wick- 
edness. 

A man may be guilty of cruel injustice, in 
demanding no more than his own. If a credi- 
tor requires only so much as is really due to 
him ; yet if he do it at a time, which, though 
legal, is not reasonable, or in a grievous manner; 
and, still worse, if his design be not so much to 
secure his own right, as to ruin his adversary, 
he is to be ranked with the most injurious op* 
pressors ; except we can think an injury is the 
less, because it is owing to revenge, instead of 
avarice : To such a person as this, in its full 
strength, belongs the parable of our Lord, and 
the threatening that follows it. O thou wicked Matth. 
servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou Xvm * 
desiredst me : shouldest not thou also have had 
compassion on thy fellow-servant, even as I had 
<pity on thee ? And his Lord was wroth, and deli- 
vered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all 
that was due unto him. So likewise shall my 
D d heavenly 



102 SERMON XVIII. 

heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from ydur 
hearts forgive not every one his brother their tres- 
passes. 

Revenge indeed and malice fall properly un* 
^ ^ der the sixth commandment, according to the 
21. " decision of our Lord, He that hateth his brother 
i John in. i s a murderer. There he is supposed to intend 
or wish evil to his brother's person, and here 
his designs are upon his property. The whole 
tribe of sciences and of virtues are so nearly re- 
lated, that it has been held, no person can be 
possessed absolutely of any one, without some 
acquaintance with every other: we cannot then 
be surprised to find the several vices also, to 
which the heart of man is subject, contiguous ; 
snd, like the colours in the rainbow, mingling 
imperceptibly with each other. 



SERMON 



SERMON XIX. 



E ghth Commandment* Part L 
LEV IT. xix. 11. 

NEITHER DEAL FALSELY, NEITHER LIE ONE TO 
ANOTHER. 

AcTS of injustice are most likely to be com- 
mitted, and they are most to be dreaded, when 
supported by power, or borrowing strength from 
some superiority) whether of riches, credit, or 
station. 

But the commission of injustice is not confin- 
ed to the higher orders of men in the communi- 
ty, nor learned only from rank and dignity : 
wrongs can be done by the feeblest hands, and 
are to be feared from the lowest persons by the 
most powerful. 

And some who have travelled, and had an 
opportunity of comparing the manners of other 
countries with our own, have observed, that 
whereas people are in most places trampled on 
by their betters, and return, if we may so speak, 
D d 2 the 



SERMON XIX, 



the ill treatment, on others still below them ; in 
England, on the contrary, the abuse begins at 
the bottom, and is carried upwards through all 
orders, successively to the very highest ; there 
prevailing among us universally, such an impa- 
tience of authority and restraint, such a disposi- 
tion to molest and pull down those above us, as 
is not to be found in any other nation. 

No sooner is any person, for his merit or abi- 
lities, or by his industry, or even by the general 
voice, and as it were at the command of the 
public, advanced to any eminent degree of au- 
thority and greatness, but instantly every virtue 
disappears ; he is no longer thought deserving 
of promotion, only because he has obtained it $ 
he is attacked with obloquy from every quarter ; 
and that breath of popular favour, by which he 
was driven forwards, on a sudden, is both turn- 
ed against him, and swelled up into a storm. 

Nor does this extreme hardship and injustice 
attend only on the most eminent stations: the 
game principles work proportionably in lower 
instances ; as a clod of earth falls to the ground, 
by the operation of the same cause, that keeps 
the planets in their orbits. 

As the great sometimes are tempted to op- 
pression, through a consciousness of their own 
power, and a contempt of the claims of mean 
persons 5 so^ on the other hand, there are num- 
bers' 



SERMON XIX. 



bers of people of the lower class, who think it is 
but a little sin to steal from those who have 
abundance. Injuries are as they are felt : What 
is a rich Lord the worse, for the want of such a 
trifle as will maintain my poor family ? 

Even the Clergy not unfrequently receive the 
same compliment ; and sometimes, when it is 
not due to them ; they have the honour to be 
ranked among those who can bear to be pillag- 
ed, and may be injured without injustice. 

This plea, or one very like it, is made still 
more use of, and alleged with more confidence, 
when the thing unjustly retained or taken, is the 
property of a society. 

But the public, far beyond all private persons, 
lies always open to these iniquitous depreda- 
tions, and is attacked without mercy, from every 
quarter; as if it were of a constitution incapable 
of suffering, or there were nothing criminal in 
doing injuries to a whole community. 

But besides the acts of injustice which we are 
guilty of towards our superiors, or those whom 
we are pleased to view in that light ; there are 
others, which are done amongst equals, or per- 
sons considered as such ; where the inequality 
of the two parties comes not in as a motive to 
the injury, being neither the encouragement on 
the one side to oppression, nor the temptation 
to fraud on the other. 

D d s These 



406 SERMON XIX, 

These belong to such branches of the inter- 
course which men have with each other, where 
the trajfck is supposed to be on even terras, for 
Erclus. the equal benefit of both parties. As a nail 
xxxn. ~. stick eth fast between the joinings of Hie stones, so 
do th' sin stick' dose between buying and selling. 

We need not descend to particulars : much 
penetration is not necessary to judge of these 
"tilings, but a fair and equitable disposition, 
Acuteness' of understanding is seldom wanted^ 
except to palliate what is wrong. Whatever is 
understood to be right by both parties, is so : and 
when they differ, it is mostly concerning the 
facts, rarely about the principles they ought to 
act upon, 

A great variety of cases will occur, in which, 
as a fair and honest disposition may give proof 
of its integrity, so he who has a tendency to 
double-dealing, will find opportunities in abun- 
dance to deceive himself, as well as those that 
deal with him. He will have a thousand apo- 
logies to allege, and be able to raise arguments 
in his own defence, which it may require some 
skill to answer, and yet but a little honesty to. 
despise. For certain truths are easier to under? 
stand, and feel, than to explain. And if you 
can once bear to deliberate, and begin to reason 
about a piece of profitable villainy, the odds are 
great that you conclude &t last to commit it. 

W4 



SERMON XIX, 



40? 



We need not add surely upon this subject* 
that all falsehood is forbidden. It sinks a trades- 
man, or any man, down to a low rank, when he 
submits to this practice ; and on any occasion^ 
or in any manner, transgresses the bounds of 
truth. "We may safely pronounce all that to be 
stolen, which is gained by lying. 

The like might be said in the case of contracts 
of every sort, w 7 hen fraudulently made, or not 
performed faithfully ; of breaches of trust repos- 
ed in us, either by express agreement, or tacit 
consent ; and in short, of every advantage we 
take over another person, by which we deprive 
him of any part of his substance, in violation of 
law, justice, equity, truth, or reason. 

But there is no necessity to prosecute these 
things particularly : for it is not instruction or 
skill, that is requisite ; but rather, on the con- 
trary, simplicity and godly sincerity, the reverse 2Cor.L 
of fleshly wisdom. An honest mind is the best 
instructor, and will teach us beyond a thousand 
casuists. It is joy to the just to do judgment ; IW.xxi, 
he who truly loves that which is just and equal, 
and from his heart desires another's welfare as 
his own, may be depended on ; and he alone : 
he has a principle within him, a secret power 5 
a magnet that will be an infallible director, and 
turn him true and sure to the point of rights 
D d 4 gmicUt 



SERMON XIX. 



amidst all the darkness of disputation^ an dall 
the attractions of self-interest. 

Vice has often been compared to a noxious 
weed, of a. quick, alas! and continual growth : 
and we are perpetually employed, we labourers 
in tbh.moral field, to check it. We offer men 
reasons to set against inclination, we oppose du- 
ty to interest; hoping to put some stop to the 
particular transgressions at least that are most 
predominant : but they spring up again in op- 
position to all our labours; and the rank harvest 
grows under the hands of the reaper. 
Colos. iii. Set your affection on things above, not on things 
2 * on earth. Could men be brought to alter the 

object of their desires, the task of reformation 
would be all done at once ; their conduct would 
follow of itself the change of their affections, 
and there would be little need for us to explain 
or inculcate the commandments. Let but this 
sentiment, the desire of heavenly things, enter 
into the heart, and possess the dominion there; 
and no vice can stand before it. Every irregu- 
lar appetite and passion, ambition, envy, avarice, 
selfishness, all those corrupt affections, by which 
we are led to be injurious to each other, are 
consumed in a moment by this fire from heaven* 
The very root of injustice, the principle from 
which it springs, the means by which it grows, 
the whole matter by which it is supplied and 

v nourished, 



SERMON XIX. *m 

nourished, are burnt up and annihilated ; and 

the heart, impregnated with the seeds of grace 

and virtue, becomes that good ground, which Mark iv. 

bringeth forth fruit, some thirty fold, some sixty 20# 

and some an hundred* 



SERMON 



J 



SERMON XX. 



Ninth Commandment, Part I. 
EXOD. xx, 16. 

THOU SHALT NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS AGAINST 
THY NEIGHBOUR. 

It doth not *, I think, appear, that the testi- 
mony of a witness, according to the law of 
Moses, was to be delivered upon oath. His 
serious asseveration was however accompanied, 
according to the usage of those times, with the 
solemnity of some insignificant action. 

At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, Deut. 
shall he that is worthy of death he pat to death ; xvu * ^' 7 ' 
but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put 
to death. The hands of the witnesses shall he first 
upon him to put him to death, and afterward the 
hands of all the people. — If thy brother entice thee Deut.xiif 
secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods,— 6 ' 9 ' 
thou shall surely kill him : thine hand shall be first 
upon him to put him to death, and afterwards the 
hand of all the people. It seems as if the wit- 
nesses 

9 \zv- v 1: may be understood of the Qmminml 



412 SERMON XX. 

nesses gave the first blow to the criminal ; and 
that this was at the same time both the signal, 
and, as it were, the warrant for his execution. 
When St Stephen was stoned, it was at St Paul's 

Acts vil. feet that the witnesses laid down their clothes ; 
which they put off, we may suppose, to make 
themselves tire readier to perform that office. 

It is to this practice our Lord alludes, in his 
sentence on the woman taken in adultery ; and 
his decision, which is every way admirable, re- 
ceives an additional propriety from this allusion : 

John vii. He that is without sin among you, let him first cast 

T« AiU tlie Sl0m at ker ' 

With us indeed, and other nations, false testi- 
mony hath, for many ages, been accompanied 
with false swearing : and this, no doubt, is an 
aggravation of the offence. 

God hath said, that he will not hold him guilt- 
less that takeih his name in vain; intimating, 
perhaps, that he may delay the punishment ; 
asserting strongly, that he will inflict it. The 
offender may escape for a time, and seem to 
triumph in his impunity ; but he is all the while 
under a curse, by which he is faster held, than 
by a thousand bars. This sentence of God, like 
a drawn sword, hangs trembling over his head, 
Luke xii. and will cut him in sunder in a day when he look- 
46 * eth not for it, at an hour when he is not aware. 

And as he, who taketh God's name in vain, 

shall 



SERMON XX. 



41$ 



shall not he held guiltless, so we find a like threat- 
ening denounced against the other part of this 
complicated offence ; a false witness shall not be 
unpunished. There is not only a force and em- 
phasis in this form of expression^ but such a re- 
semblance also to the other threatening, as is 

remarkable ; The Lord will not hold him guiltless. Exo ^- xx - 

. 7. 

— He shall not be unpunished. Guiltless, and p r0 y.xis, 
unpunished, under God's just government, agree, 5 * 
no doubt, in their import ; at least they will be 
found to do so at the consummation of all things, 
when he shall render to every man according to 
his xcorliS. But in this case, the very language *h "pa* 
is not different : it is the same word in both 
these places in the original. 

False testimony draws after it also by human 
lazes a punishment considerable, and with us 
very ignominious : but yet not always, it must be 
acknowledged, proportionable to the malignity 
and mischief of the offence, or to the punish- 
ment which is inflicted for other crimes less 
atrocious in themselves, and less detrimental 
to the public. Of this the legislature are not 
ignorant: they have their reasons, we may be 
sure, for this lenity ; and regard probably what 
is convenient and practicable, as well as what is 
just. The office of an informer, however some- 
times necessary, is disagreeable and invidious 5 
gnd should not, it is thought, be overcharged 

-with 



41* 



SERMON X?L. 



with difficulties and danger: innumerable crimes, 
even as the law now stands, escaping punish- 
ment, merely because no one is willing to be 
the witness against them, though of them 9 alas! 
we are all witnesses. 

Those who make a trade of accusing were 
always, and must be ever odious : but to prose- 
cute and bring to public justice some great and 
powerful offender, was esteemed honourable in 
the commonwealths of Greece and Rome, and 
was often the first step to advancement. 

The punishment appointed for false testimony 
has been * death : but the most natural and equi* 
table punishment, (which also appears to have 
been inflicted in some t nations^ and in the 
t Roman government at a certain period), is 
De-at.xix. that which the law of Moses prescribes. If a 
false witness rise up against any ma?z 9 to testify 
against kirn that which is wrong ; then both the 
men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand 
lefore the Lord, before the priests, and the judges 

which 

* Ut qui falsum testimonium dixisset, e saxo Tarpeio 
-dejiceretur. XII. Tab. 

In France, I suppose in some cases only, this crime is said 
w be now capital. Montes. Spir. of Laws, Book 29- Chap. 11. 

t Diod. Sic. Lib. 1.— - Oi %l "tyivdas viySv *a%yocvi<r*fi e .$ a$uXov 
txto zruklv, o rcTg evKeQxmdilc-iv b&rbexle. 

J Cum calumniantes ad Yindictam poscat simiUhido snppli* ' 
cii. C. 9^ 2, 17. 



SERMON XX, 



which be in those days ; and the judges shall make 
diligent inquisition ; and behold, if the witness be 
a false witness, and hath testified falsely against 
his brother ; then shall ye do unto him as he had 
thought to have done unto his brotlier. So shalt 
thou put the evil away from among you. And 
those which remain shall hear, and fear, and shall 
henceforth commit no more any such evil among you, 
And thine eye shall not pity, but life shall go for 
life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand^ 
foot for foot 

And were it not a matter of extreme difficult 
ty to pronounce concerning the utility of laws, 
without the experience of them, one would 
think, that, as the severest punishment of wil- 
ful false testimony would be no more than just ; 
so it would be the most likely to advance the 
cause of truth and justice, and the happiness of 
every nation in the world. 

For the crime surely is of the deepest dye ; 
as wicked and hurtful as can well be committed- 
Indeed it is not easy to imagine a greater degree 
of depravity, than goes to the commission of 
this offence ; or a complication of more grievous 
sins, than are comprehended in it. 

For, to pass by the perjury, which belongs 
to this offence but by accident, and has been 
already mentioned ; first, it is murder, or rob- 
bery, (as the case may happen to be) j and that 

more 



SERMON XX= 



more grievous, than if done by open violence, as 
loading the innocent with disgrace and infamy. 

Secondly, It is a violation of truth. And this 
surely is no small part of every crime into which 
it enters. An act of injustice or cruelty, when 
it is joined with treachery, or brought about by 
falsehood and fraud, is doubly detestable, and 
raises our indignation to the highest pitch. 

Thirdly, False testimony is peculiarly inju- 
rious to society. The immediate object of the 
crime, is far from being the only sufferer : the 
state itself is hurt ; and that not merely by the 
loss of a single member, if that be the conse- 
quence, but it receives, as it were, a wound in 
its vital parts. For the administration of public 
justice, is the very life of civil society ; its being 
depends upon it ; if this be destroyed, we fall 
back that moment into a state of nature. Now, 
false testimony, in every instance, interrupts 
this administration of justice ; and would stop 
it entirely, were it universally prevalent. A 
judge does not see every thing with his own 
eyes ; he can only execute the laws, by giving 
credit to the witnesses $ truth and civil society 
must expire together. 

Solemn false testimony is an offence that must 
always be deliberate and premeditated. It is 
aot the effect of any sudden transport or gust 

of 



SERMON XX. 

of passion, but shews a temper resolutely cor- 
rupt, and hardened in wickedness. 

Lastly, For what need to pursue this hateful 
offence through all its aggravations ? it requires 
a degree of impudence , and meanness, a strength 
of forehead, and baseness of heart, that can 
only belong to the very worst, the vilest, and 
most abandoned character; so that if some other 
crimes were as pernicious as this, yet hafdly 
could any be so odious. A bold usurper, a 
bloody tyrant, is advanced, no doubt, to a high 
pitch of wickedness : yet even he is able td in- 
spire us with some degree of reverence for his 
authority or accomplishments, and force us to 
mix respect with our abhorrence of him. But 
his spies and his sycophants, the tools with 
which he does his work, and who are so ready 
ever to testify what it is convenient for him to 
have believed, (though it is not always believ- 
ed), these are yet more execrable : the two ex- 
tremities of aversion are united in our senti^ 
ments of them ; and they are, at the same time, 
the most terrible, and most contemptible, 



Ee 



SERMON 



SERMON XXL 



Ninth Commandment. Part IL 
PROV. x. 18. 

HE THAT UTTERETH A SLANDER, 23 A FOOL. 

In the large field of falsehood, there is room 
for a multitude of offences, not so terribly emi- 
nent as that lie, which we confirm by oath, and 
deliver solemnly in a court of justice. 

The first, however, approaches towards it - f 
the calumny, which is known to be false, and. 
spoken with a design to do mischief. The name 
of God, I grant, is not profaned ; it is also 
something, that the very place and forms of 
justice are not defiled and prostituted i in other 
respects, the injustice is much the same ; and 
the stroke, sometimes, as heavy as that which 
is given by the hand of the executioner. 

Reputation, of all possessions, is the most va- 
luable, next to a good conscience ; to which in- 
deed it of right belongs^ and from which it na- 
turally springs. The root lies out of the reach 
E e 2 of 



420 



SERMO N 



XXL 



of injury : Your innocence, by God's grace* no 
one can take from you, without your own con- 
sent : but the fruit of a fair reputation, so beau- 
tiful and fragrant, and in all respects so pre- 
cious, this, alas ! hangs exposed to the assault 
of every passenger : the lowest, as he goes a~ 
long, can fling a stone upwards, and laugh to 
see the prize fall, though he cannot gather it. 

It is an aggravation of the crime, or at least 
of the folly of calumny, that commonly there is 
nothing to be gained by the commission of it. 
Prov. vi. Men do not despise a thief if he steal to satisfy 
his soul, when he is hungry ; hut if he he founds 
he shall restore sevenfold ; he shall give all the 
substance of his house. But he who steals away 
your reputation, has no pretence to the plea of 
necessity ; since what he takes away from an- 
other, does not therefore fall into his own hands ; 
and when he has ruined you by the robbery, he 
himself is no richer. 

We have an account somewhere, of a certain 
tribe of Savages, who are possessed of a per- 
suasion, that, whenever they have slain a man, 
they are immediately endowed with all his good 
qualities ; which they think are transfused from 
the soul of the dead, into the person that has 
killed him. You will not wonder that murders 
a;*e frequent in that country and that it is very 

dangerous 



SERMON XXL 



dangerous for a man of merit to be found un- 
guarded among people of such principles. 

Having established in our own thoughts a 
kind of competition with those around us, and 
rivalship for respect and credit, we are apt to 
flatter ourselves, that we are the better for their 
shame, and the more respected when they are 
ill thought of ; we hope to appropriate to our- 
selves the honour which others lose, and inherit 
the applauses they possess no longer. 

But we are much mistaken in our conclusions : 
For, not to urge the danger of reprisals , which 
may be made upon us with equal success, and 
perhaps more justice ; this very temper and prac- 
tice, if our enemies have nothing more to allege 
against us, is of itself one of the heaviest im- 
putations : and while we put it in their power 
to say so much ill of us truly, we pursue the 
very worst measures in the world for a good 
character, whether to deserve or gain it. 

Nor is this only one great blemish in our re- 
putation, and an inducement to our enemies to 
look out for more ; but it is also a sure symp- 
tom that they will fin d them. A disposition to 
calumny is too bad a thing, to he the only thing 
in us that is bad : a vice of that distinction can- 
not be without a large retinue. 

At least, there will hardly be found in its 
company, any quality highly good and excei- 
E e 3 kill: 



422 



SERMON XXL 



lent: Eminent merit can shine without a foil ^ 
it needs no such helps, and condescends not tQ 
make use of them ; but it is well pleased with 
whatever is well done, and ready and delighted 
to do justice to the excellencies of others. 

A mind truly great, recommends and brings 
forward what is deserving of encouragement j 
and being rich in praise, can bestow it liberally, 
without any fear of impoverishment. • 

But, besides the mere desire of doing mis- 
chief, which is malice ; or the desire of doing 
it to those above us, which is envy ; or to those 
who have offended us, which is revenge ; and 
besides also the more general endeavour to de- 
press others in order to raise ourselves the higher, 
which is the mistaken effort of a very mean am- 
bition ; there is yet another principle, which is 
apt to lead us into the same offence ; and be- 
comes one cause of that calumny which springs 
from so many sources. 

We have all a desire to be agreeable to our 
companions ; and, finding that conversation is 
never so well relished, as when seasoned with 
slander ; what can we do, but conform to the 
taste of those we live with, and be censorious 
put of civility ? 

But, perhaps the fault may not be wholly 
theirs with whom we converse. Our talent, it 
may be, lies the same way with their taste : we 

have 



SERMON XXL 



have a genius, it is possible, turned for satire, 
above any other species of composition, In 
that case, it will be no wonder if we appear to 
less advantage upon a different topic ; and that 
our panegyrics, growing in an unkindly soil, are 
found distasteful and unsavoury. 

But, be that as it may, we are still by no 
means innocent. If the fault be in others, w r e 
ought not to partake in it ; if in ourselves, we 
may correct it. Should we think it reasonable, 
were the case our own, to be abused merely for 
sport, and belied only in order to be laughed 
at ? The jest is lost in the injustice and cruelty : 
it is a serious matter, at least on the side of the 
sufferer. 

The hearers too are imposed upon, and made 
the instruments of conveying a falsehood, and 
doing an injury. The evil spreads fast, and is 
multiplied, and probably increased and aggra- 
vated in its course ; and there is no end of the 
confusion and mischief. As a madman who cast- Prov. 
eth firebrands, arrows, and death, so is the man 
that deceiveih his neighbour, and saith, Am not I 
in sport? 

Praise, even when it is deserved, maybe con- 
ferred indiscreetly ; but censure is surrounded 
with peril on every side 5 the least impropriety 
makes it unpardonable. You are not allowed 
to be mistaken, when you take upon you to find 
E e 4 fault* 



SERMON XXI. 

fault. Time, place, person, occasion, com- 
pany, and so many circumstances, must meet 
together, that the proper opportunity to dis- 
commend, if we will but wait for it, cannot oc- 
cur often. Censure is in season so very seldom, 
that it may be compared to that bitter plant 
which hardly comes to its maturity in the life 
of a man, and is said to flower but once in a 
hundred years. 

The spirit of party is another principle, and 
almost universal cause, of these offences of the 
tongue. 

Besides the greater contests in Church and 
State, there are perpetually springing up petty 
competitions, from interest commonly, some* 
times by accident, or almost without occasion, 
which divide people into little armies ; in one 
or other of which we are most of us too for- 
ward to engage ; we are easily involved in the 
prejudices of those around us ; and being swept 
away by the torrent of dissension, we increase 
it. 

Hence it is, that most men, and especially 
the most active and busy, have two characters 
given them, widely different from each other. 
The wise and wary give none hastily, and cre- 
dit neither without abatements. The worth 
and the demerit of the greatest number is al- 
ways 



SERMON XXT. 



425 



ways moderate : whatever is represented as ex- 
traordinary, is probably exaggerated. 

Nor are the profligate and the weak alone 
drawn aside by these prejudices ; discreet and 
worthy persons find it difficult to resist them. 
The appearance of friendship, gratitude, ho- 
nour, and other good qualities, insensibly mis- 
lead us : and in pursuit of the image of these 
glittering virtues, we lose the substance of truth 
and charity. 

Lastly, We are but too apt, all of us, to be 
influenced in what we speak, by a latent par- 
tiality for ourselves. How oft are we found to 
fail in representing the clearest transaction ! not 
from any formed design of doing wrong, or 
speaking falsely ; but through that mist and 
darkness, which self-interest raises, and the pas- 
sions spread before the understanding : Imper- 
ceptibly almost to ourselves, the bias of partiali- 
ty, as we pass along in our narration, is working 
upon every point and circumstance a little ; till 
in the end we have wandered widely from the 
line of truth, or even move in opposition to it* 

To relate the fact, to represent our own 
words and actions, and those of others in which 
we are interested, as they are, is no slight at- 
tainment ; but demonstrates a superiority of 
mind, which is the peculiar quality of the high- 
est characters, 

How 



SERMON XXL 

How great, how truly noble., in whatever sta- 
tion, were that person, whose veracity should be 
found untainted by selfish considerations ! who 
might be left to state the cause of his adversary 3 
and trusted with the rights of every party ! 

Lord, who shall dwell in thy tabernacle *, or who 
shall rest upon thy holy hill? Even Jie that lead- 
elh an uncorrupt life, and doth the thing which is 
right, and speakelh the truth from his heart : He 
that hath used no deceit in his tongue ; nor done 
evil to his neighbour ; and hath not slandered his 
neighbour. 



SERMON 



SERMON XXII. 



Tenth Commandment? Part I. 
EXOD. xx. 17. 

THOU SHALT NOT COVET. 

HAVING before forbidden all actual en* 
croachment upon the property of another, the 
divine Lawgiver proceeds to impose his restraints 
upon the mind, and prohibits in the same tone 
of authority, not only the violent invasion, but 
the very inward destine of that which cannot 
justly become our own. 

He had need be a Divine Lawgiver, who 
takes upon him to impose such precepts, and 
controul those workings of the soul which are 
invisible to mortal eye, and can be tried before 
no human tribunal. 

We find no such injunction as this, I con« 
ceive, in the appointments of Lycurgus or So- 
Ion, in the laws of the twelve tables, or the in- 
stitutes of the Roman Emperor. Content with 
the regulation of the external act, and the im- 
position 



42$ SERMON XXIL 

position of some restraint on the tongue, they 
presume not to proceed farther ; but decently 
and prudently stop, being arrived at the limits 
of their authority. 

But the Supreme Lo?*d has no bounds set to 
his empire, which both reaches throughout in- 
finity, and penetrates to the inmost recesses : 
Ephes.Iv. his dominion is universal and complete. He is 
above all, and through all, and in you all. The 
thoughts and intents of the heart, make indeed 
the principal subject of his inspection and go- 
vernment : to desire and wish only to be exempt 
from his authority, is already to have rebelled 
against him. 

Exhortations others may have used, or given 
their counsel, in the capacity of wise men ov phu 
losophers, for the benefit of such citizens as 
would aspire to perfection : but here is a laxv'm 
all its forms, set forth with the most solemn, 
nay, even with a miraculous pomp, in terms the 
most precise and peremptory, and in company 
with the other fundamental institutions of the 
commonwealth. 

Thou shalt do no murder. 

Thou shalt not commit adultery,, 

Thou shalt not steal. 

Thou shalt not bear false witness. 

Thou shalt not covet 

To what purpose this last prohibition ? If I 

steal, 



SERMON XXII. 



429 



steal, or bear false witness, I know the penalty : Ex ° d ^ 
of the best of his own field or vineyard, shall he Deut!*' 
make restitution; — Ye shall do unto him 9 as lie X1X - l & m 
thought to have done unto his frother. If I com- 
mit murder, my life is answerable for the trans- 
gression : the punishment is fixed, and the wit- 
nesses ready to lay their hand upon my head. 

But what if I commit no murder, but only de- 
sire and wish to do it ? Suppose I do not steal 
with my hands, but covet only in my heart, the 
possessions of my neighbour : what is the penal- 
ty of this transgression ? or who shall undertake 
to be the witness ? Is it not superfluous and 
trifling, to issue out proclamations that must be 
of no force, and edicts that can never be exe~ 
cuted ? What is a law, without a sanction ? or 
what are both these, where there can be no 
proof of the offence ? Is not this rather to sport 
with the majesty of laws ; and to debase and ex- 
pose to ridicule, what is most important and sa- 
cred ? The dignity and wisdom of the great 
lawgiver of the Jews, forbid us to ascribe to 
him a conduct so plainly inconsistent and un- 
meaning. 

What then can we infer, but that he knew 
his laws had an authority more than human; 
that they only passed through his hands, but 
"were indeed enacted by one who was also able 
to see them executed ? Him, who is a discerner Hebr. ir. 




430 



SERMON XXII. 



of , the thoughts and intents of the heart ; and can 
Ecdus. bring every work into judgment, with every secret 
Xu * 1/L thing, whether it he good or evil: and who, he 
knew, would do it ; would interpose even in this 
present world, so far as should be necessary for 
the honour of his government, and the comple- 
tion of his promises ; leaving however* we may 
well allow, a more full and perfect, a more dis- 
tinguished and universal display of his attributes* 
and vindication of his providence, for the final 
revelation by his Son, and the judgment of the 
world to come, 
Gal. iii. * s wr *^ en — -The law was our schoolmaster 

24* to bring us unto Christ. In this command espe- 
cially. Thou shalt not covet, it breathes the spirit 
of the Christian dispensation ; teaching men to 
practise its precepts from an inward principle, 
Rom. ii. and to shew the works of the law, written in their 
15 * hearts. 

There is somewhere an account, fabulous I 
allow, but yet instructive, of an Almond Tree,- 
of a particular species, endowed, it seems, with 
this singular property ; whatever mark you shall 
Inscribe upon the kernel of the nut, when it is 
planted, the same will be found visibly delineat- 
ed on all the leaves and fruit of the tree that 
springs from it. The stone being opened at 
first, and the intended character once carefully 
drawn, the rest follows of course, without fur- 
ther 



SERMON XXII. 



432- 



ther application. As the tree shoots up arid 
spreads, that original impression is displayed 
on every side, and multiplied in a thousand 
branches. 

How many rules and maxims of life might be 
spared, could we fix a principle of virtue with- 
in ; break the stony heart, as the Scripture calls Ezek. 
it, and inscribe this living sentiment of the love 19< 

° xxxvt, 

of God in the affection ; that tender but power- 2& 

ful part of our frame, from which our whole life 

and all our actions are derived, as the tree 5 

branches, leaves, and fruit, spring out of the 

kernel of the almond ! 

Were the spirit of piety within, and God's 

name written in our breast, how little teaching 

%vould then suffice, to shew us what is pleasing 

to him ! His love, once in the heart, would pass 

with ease into our whole behaviour ; and leave 

upon all our words and actions, engraved, and 

shining, as on the mitre of Aaron, Holiness u?u Exod. 

7 r _ xxvi-ii, 
to the Lord. 

If Honesty and Justice be once seated in the 
affection, the decisions of casuists will be no 
longer wanted : he who loves righteousness^ is 
master of all the distinctions in morality. 

The law is for the ungodly. The other com- I Tim.1.9* 
mandments, with the train of penalties annexed 
to them, are made only for those persons who 
are not good enough to be governed by this 
precept 

He 



432 



SERMON XXII 



Exod.^ He that curseth his father, or his mother, shall 
XXI " " surely he put to death. 

Gen.ix. 6. Who so sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his 
blood be shed. 

Levit. xx. The adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be 
put to death. 

Exod. £fc that stealeth a man shall surely be put to 
xxi. 16. j eat j u 

Exod. jf a man s j ia ji S £ €a i an QXt) or a sheep, he shall 
' ' ' ' restore jive oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a 
sheep. If he have nothing, then he shall be sold 
for his theft. 

Deutxlx. If a false witness rise up against any man, to 
16,19,21. f e stify against him that 'which is wrong f — then 
shall ye do unto him, as he had thought to have 
done unto his brother. — And thine eye shall not 
pity, but life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for 
tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot. 

The Law, you see, is encompassed with ter- 
ror ; like that mountain from which it was de- 
Exod. liver ed. Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not 
&c! 9 U P* or t ouc k the border of it. There shall not a 
hand touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot 
through. And there were thunders, and lighten- 
ings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the 
mice of the trumpet exceeding loud, so that all the 
people that was in the camp trembled. 

But what is all this terror, and these dangers., 
to that man who is not prompted to transgress \ 

To 



SERMON XXII. 433 

To him who has brought. his heart into subjec- 
tion to this sublime precept, Thou shall not covet, 
the threatenings annexed to the commandment 
are a dead letter; the yoke of bondage is broken* 
Duty and desire concurring, he has the pleasing 
task of fulfilling his Maker's will, by all those 
offices which are the most agreeable to himself. 
Such labour is delight ; suGh service perfect free- 
dom. He is passed from under the law, into an 
evangelical, or rather indeed a heavenly state; Hebnxit 
resembling the spirits of just men made perfect, ^attb 
and the angels which do always behold the face of xviii. 23> 
the Father which is in heaven; and receiving 
some foretaste even now, of the fulness of joy Psal. xvi a 
that is in God's presence, the pleasure which is at 
his right hand for evermore. 

O happy, envied state of those good men, 
who are delivered from the bondage of corruption Rom.vin. 
into this glorious liberty of the children of God! 21 * 
Slaves no longer to the tyranny of sin ; nor con- 
demned to wage an everlasting war with turbu- 
lent passions, depraved appetites, and inveterate 
habits of vice; avarice, mean and miserable; 
ambition, never to be satisfied; pride, puffed up 
with wine ; vanity, decked with feathers ; envy, 
wrath, intemperance, and every inordinate af- 
fection, the offspring of selfishness and folly, 
the parents of shame and torment, No dispute, 
delay, or murmur, against the voice of wisdom 

F f suad 



V 



434. SERMON XXIL 

and piety. Peace all, and harmony within the 
good man's breast; and his hopes full of immor- 
tality. Men he regards, all with the eye of cha- 
rity ; and looks up to God with the sentiments 
of a son, reverence softened by affection, and 
1 John iv. that perfect love which casteth out fear. 

How near to this perfect state it is possible 
for us to arrive on this side the grave, instead 
of disputing, let us, each of us, learn by expe- 
rience , assured in the mean time, that every 
step w T e take towards it, is both an advancement 
of our present felicity, and a confirmation of our 
title to the bliss which is everlasting. 



SERMON 



r&rfw ad 



SERMON XXIII 



Tenth Commandment, Part II. 
COLOS. iii. 2. 

SET YOUR AFFECTION ON THINGS ABOVE, NOT ON 
THINGS ON THE EARTH. 

He who would raise a lofty fabric, must dig 
low for the surest ground to place it on : and 
whoever aspires after the greatest heights of true 
glory and happiness, must lay the foundation in 
humility. 

We recommend to you only that contentment, 
which is indeed the noblest ambition ; no other 
disinterestedness, than what is most for your ad- 
vantage. 

A greedy and restless temper of mind, discon- 
tented with its present lot, and eagerly aspiring 
after a higher station, in the first place, is mise- 
rable, inconsistent with all comfort and happi- 
ness. It is in itself, let your external advantages 
be what they will, a perpetual cause of disquie~ 
tude and torment : it is a longing, that can ne- 
ver be satisfied. Success only adds fuel to the 

Ff2 flame, 



486 



SERMON XXIII. 



flame, and gives it strength to stretch out to a, 
wider compass. 

Secondly, It is an irreligious temper of mind : 
and this tzvo ways ; both as it takes too much 
possession of the heart, to leave room for senti- 
ments of piety, engrossing our whole concern, 
and employing all our endeavours ; and also 
more directly, as it implies a dissatisfaction with 
the appointments of God, and a murmuring at 
his providence ; as if he had been less kind to 
us than he ought to have been, and partial in fa- 
vour of others. It is mutiny against our hea- 
venly Commander : we refuse the station he as- 
signs, and disdain the service on which he or- 
ders us. 

And, thirdly, It is a temper very contrary to 
justice and fidelity towards men • He will not 
always withhold his hands, whose heart is conti- 
nually set upon another's property. There will 
be some unhappily favourable moment, when, 
opportunity conspiring with inclination, the in- 
justice long premeditated will be at length ac- 
complished; and then, as the prophet speaketh.. 
Isai. llx. they ivho conceive mischief, bring forth iniquity. 

This is to be understood of the greater viola- 
tions of justice, attended with danger; for in less 
instances, and those that are safe, there will be 
no such circumspection and delay. The unfair- 
ness of the heart within, will be shewing itself 

incessantly ; 



SERMON XXIII. 



incessantly,; and, like the stain of glass, through 
which a ray of the sun passes, will infect all ob- 
jects, and give its colour to every transaction of 
life. 

Or even if it should be hindered, by means of 
some external impediment, from appearing ; the 
very inward disposition, the desire and design of 
doing wrong, is justly to be punished by that 
Judge, who will bring to light the hidden things of 1 Cor, 
darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the 5t 
heart. 

It is the consideration of this future judg- 
ment, and the eternal, unchangeable state of 
happiness or misery consequent to it, which is 
the sovereign antidote for the malady of discon- 
tent. Let but your hopes be full of immortali- 
ty? your thoughts and hearts inflamed with the 
joys of heaven > and the possessions and plea- 
sures of this world will be seen to be little worth 
the contest ; their lustre will die away, like the 
glimmering of the stars when the sun ariseth. 

Days and years, poverty and riches, when set 
against eternity, and compared with heavenly 
bliss, lose, in the infinite disproportion, all their 
own petty inequalities, and are equally nothing; 
no objects to excite animosities among immortal 
spirits, redeemed from eternal misery, and heirs 
of everlasting glory. 

Envy and insolence, discontent and pride, 
F f 3- avarice 



SERMON XXIII. 



avarice and ambition, cease with the interests of 
this earth ; by which they are sustained and 
nourished, as the lamp is fed with oil : When 
the soul is touched from above, every thing of 
terrestrial materials is destroyed. 

The great doctrines, the awful truths, the glo- 
rious promises, the tremendous threatenings of 
our holy religion, catch the heart, and carry it 
as a sacrifice to heaven ; but, like the fire of the 
l Kings Lord that fell on the altar of Elijah, consume the 
xvm. 38. wooc ^ m( i t j ie s tones, and the dust. 

The example and death of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, is to Christians an argument above all 
others, enforcing indeed every virtue ; but with 
peculiar advantage of earthly greatness, and the 
love of God and man. 

It is the thing least observable in his example* 
!^. e that he prayed for his murderers, Father for- 
give them, for they know not what they do : he 
left the bosom and bliss of his Father, and the 
glory which he had with him before the world 
was, on purpose to suffer thus ; for this very end, 
that he might endure abuse and insults, stripes 
and death ; a death ignominious, exquisitely 
painful and lingering. 

He suffered this from the hands of men ; for 
whose whole race it was, that he had abased 
himself so low, and endured so much. He 
came down from heaven, and would be made 

man ? 



SERMON XXI II. m 

- ■ ■ 

man, for the sake of men, who already owed 
their being to him ; yet had broken his laws, 
were regardless of his authority, insensible of 
his affection, and prepared to crucify him. 

They indeed were enemies ; but his love con- 
tinued. Whom he once loved, he loved to the end. John xiii. 
He created them to be good and happy, and 
died for them, when they were become wretch- 
ed sinners. 

The riches of his goodness, and forbearance, Rom.ii.4*' 
and long suffering ! Who is able to comprehend Ephes. in. 
this breadth, and length, and depth, and height! 18 ' 

Words cannot represent, no tongue of men 
or angels is able to express it : Let this love be & om -v.5. 
shed abroad m your hearts ; then shall you un- 
derstand, what we cannot utter: and know the Ephes. il 

19 

love of Christ, which passe th knowledge. 

Then will the commandments of God be no 
longer grievous to us : the hardest duties will 
become easy ; and the forgiveness of injuries, 
be like the plainest parts of justice. 

All mankind will then be dear to us, for his 
sake who made, and who redeemed them. How 
shall we be able to hate any one, thus favoured 
by him who loved us, and died for us ? 

AH our little animosities will be burnt up in 
that holy flame of divine love -> and we shall be 
as incapable of conceiving hatred, as of commit* 
ting murder. 

Ff4 This 



SERMON XXIII. 



This is the great secret, to remove all diffi- 
culties out of the road of duty ; and make the 

Psal. service of God perfect freedom. Thy testimo* 

pux.24o nie$ are m y delight^ says the Psalmist. The law 
of thy mouth is dearer unto me than thousands of 

John iv, gold and silver : And our Lord, My meat is to do 
the will of him that sent me. When the apostles 

Acts r. had been imprisoned, and beaten, they departed 
from the presence of the council^ rejoicing that they 
were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name 
of Christ. 

This is the nature of love ; the greater the 
sacrifice that it makes, the higher the satisfac- 
tion it enjoys. It is even uneasy and discon- 
tented, as it were, if its assistance be not want- 
ed ; if no occasion can be found, by which it 
may give full proof of its activity and ardour. 

"When we are touched with this sentiments 
we shall no longer complain of hardships in re- 
ligion, nor want to know how near we may ap- 
proach with safety toward the violation of a 
commandment. But how much soever we do, 
we shall never think we have done, or can do 
enough, but shall be always pressing forward, 
and aspiring to more, and still , higher express 
sions of affection and gratitude. 

Obstruction will but increase our ardour \ as 
a strong flame is made more fierce, by the same 
wind which extinguished a small one. 

Low 



SERMON XXIIL 



441 



Love is strong as death. Many waters cannot Cant. viiL 
que)ich love ; neither can the floods drown it. If^?' 
a man 'would give all the substance of his house for g 
love, it would utterly be contemned. 

Riches cannot purchase love ; but love in- 
spires it. The highest instances of affection is 
the love of enemies, that of Jesus Christ to men. 
Reflect upon this love ; set it before your eyes ; 
desire at least to be sensible of it, and to feel 
kindling in your own heart, a return for that 
infinite affection ; We love him, because he first UohnvL 
loved us. 19 ' 

Cherish this spark, by sobriety and virtue, by 
meditation and prayer, and self-denial; and 
especially by acts of charity and compassion, 
and forgiveness to mankind, to the least, and 
lowest, and w r orst ; till the love of God be perfect- 1 John iU 
ed in you, and that birth finished by which you ^ Cor 
will become a new creature ; as the Scripture 17. 
saith, Every one that loveth is born of God. Uohniv. 

Then will you rely on your Father's care, and 7 * 
exult in his affection. If God be for us, who Rom.vilL 
can be against us? He that spared not his own 31 ' 3 ~* 
Son, but delivered him up for us all ; how shall lie 
not with him also freely give us all things ? 



SERMONS 



SERMONS 



ON THE 



OED'S SUPPER 



SERMON L 



MATTH. xxxvi. 26, 27,28. 

AND AS THEY WERE EATING, JESUS TOOK BREAD^ 
AND BLESSED IT, AND BRAKE IT, AND GAVE IT 
TO THE DISCIPLES, AND SAID, TAKE, EAT, THIS 
IS MY BODY. AND HE TOOK THE CUP, AND GAVE 
THANKS, AND GAVE IT TO THEM, SAYING, DRINK 
YE ALL OF IT ; FOR THIS IS MY BLOOT* OF THE 
NEW TESTAMENT, WHICH IS SHED FOR MANY, FOR. 
THE REMISSION OF SINS. 

The foundation of the holy rite here institu- 
ted is this, which is indeed the great doctrine of 
the Christian religion, That our Saviour Christ, Commu- 
ted God and Man, did humble himself even to "j™ Ser * 
the death upon the cross for m miserable sinners.. 

He was in glory with the Fathej* before the johnxviL 
world was. He was in the beginning with God, |- . g 
and was God, All things were made by him ; and $. 
without him was. not any thing made that was made. 
Such was his state of divine happiness and glorj-. 

On the other hand, man was fallen from that 

degree 



SERMON L 



degree of earthly comforts and enjoyments, in 
which this Divine Word had placed him, into a 
state of labour, sorrow, diseases, and death, by 
the sin of our first parents ; and was also liable 
to the sentence of eternal condemnation, to be 
pronounced by the just judgment of Almighty 
God upon every wilful transgressor. He was 
in the possession of unutterable glory and feli- 
city ; we were overwhelmed in misery, and de- 
looted to destruction* 

But behold the love of God ! He lays aside 
his divine perfections, and clothes himself with 
our infirmities. He hastens to our deliverance ; 
takes upon him our flesh : he lives in the form 
and fashion of a man among us ; in a station of 
labour and indigence ; doing good continually, 
suffering reproach and wrong ^ and at last is put 
to death unjustly, scornfully, and cruelly, by 
his own creatures, for whose sake also he had 
thus abased himself All this he willingly un- 
dergoes, to do the will of his Father ; to fulfil 
the Scriptures that thus it must be j to teach us 
the way that leadeth to eternal bliss ; to give us 
an example of goodness and patience ; and to 
make atonement by his sufferings for our sins-. 
Commu-. j n tj ie same night in which he was betrayed, he 
vice. bread, and when he had given thanks, he brake 

it, and gave it to his disciples^ sayings Take, eat ; 

this 



SERMON I. 



this is my body, which is given for you ,* do this 
in remembrance of me. 

Imagine you see our Divine Redeemer sitting 
with his disciples at his last supper, and hear 
him addressing himself to them in the following 
manner : 

6 The solemn ceremonies which I and you are 
now observing, are memorials, you know, of a 
great event which happened many ages ago to 
your forefathers ; this lamb before us is the re- 
presentation of that which was slain and eaten 
by them in Egypt. Come, I will institute a 
new rite, to be kept in remembrance of what 
shall immediately befal myself, on your account- 
Before the evening and the morning shall con- 
clude the present day, this body of mine shall 
be delivered into the hands of men, and they 
shall wound, and pierce, and kill it. I take 
this bread into my hands, and break it to pieces : 
take, eat ; it is my body which is given for you. 
By this token you shall keep in memory, and re- 
present to all ages unto the end of the world, 
this precious sacrifice, fore-ordained before the l Pet 
foundation of it, and now going to be offered 
for your sake. 

6 My Father who is in heaven, loves rne, his 
own and only-begotten Son, with a tender and 
unparalleled affection. He loved me before the John 
foundation of the world. And though I indeed KYn ' 

was, 



4*8 



SERMON L 



was, and am willing to suffer, yet would he not 
have sent me down into this state of humilia- 
tion, to undergo the sufferings and death which 
are even now preparing for me, if he had not 
also loved you, and had compassion on you* 
though enemies to him by evil works, and dead 
in trespasses and sins. For God indeed is love 
It is the chief part of his very nature, which it 
is possible for you to comprehend, and to imi- 
tate. Love him therefore, who is love, with 
all your heart, and mind, and strength. This is 
the first and great commandment. Of his owri 
tender pity towards a lost world, he sent me to 
do and suffer all that you have seen, and shall 
soon see, for the benefit of men. And when I 
am removed from you, and you see me no more, 
he shall give you another Comforter, even the 
Spirit of Truth, to supply the want of my pre- 
sence, and conduct that great work of the sal- 
vation of mankind, for which the Father sent 
me, and for which I am come willingly into the 
world. 

c And as the bread which I broke represented 
my crucified body 7 so this cup, which I com- 
mand you all to drink of, let it signify my blood, 
which is now going to be poured out for all men. 
Lev. xvii. 6 It is written , that it is the blood that mctfceth an 
1} • . atonement for the soul: by the law 9 almost all things 

Heb.ix.2. J - , , . 7 y 7 7 7 . - 

Heb.x.4, are purged mm blood: mthout the shedding of 

blood 



SERMON I. 449> 

blood is 10 remission. But it Is not possible 
that the blood of bulls and of goats should take 
away the sins of men. That was required, and 
was available only, as a type of my blood, now 
to be shed, once for all. Take this cup, to be 
partakers of this atonement. ' 

4 You remember also, when Moses had read to 
the people the book of the covenant between 
God and them, and the people consented to the 
covenant, and said, All that the Lord hath said Exod. 
will we do, and be obedient ; Moses took half of XX1V ' 
the blood of the sacrifices, and sprinkled it on 
the altar, and the other half he sprinkled on the 
people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenaixt 
which the Lord hath made with you. The blood 
was sprinkled on both the contracting parties ; 
the one half on the altar, representing him who 
was there worshipped, and the other half on the 
people of the Jews. 

* That covenant is now expiring in my death, 
and a new one is to be made with all the nations 
of the earth. I am the victim offered at this 
great solemnity, on the altar of the cross. When 
you take this cup, you ratify this new covenant 
on your part, and give your consent to the con- 
ditions of it. 

c You will be no longer bound by the ceremo- 
nial law, It expires of course with me, who 
am its end and consummation, ; 

Gg 4 But 



45© 



SERMON I. 



6 But my own power and providence shall 
abolish it more effectually, and execute what I 
now predict. Some even of yourselves, to whom 
I am speaking, shall live to see the time, when 
of this noble temple, the work of so many years, 
Matth. the wonder of so many ages, tliere shall not be 

down. 

c As you are to be thankful for this deliverance 
Acts xvi from a yoke which neither your fathers nor you 
are able to bear ; so take care not to turn your 
liberty into licentiousness. The sense of your 
freedom from this bondage should restrain you 
from violating those laws which are of everlast- 
ing obligation. As you will not henceforth be 
occupied in sacrifices, and other burdensome 
ceremonies ; apply yourselves so much the more 
to what is better. 

c Look upon the whole race of mankind as your 
neighbours and brethren. Embrace them with 
a cordial, and unrestrained affection. They 
were always the workmanship of the same Crea- 
tor, and bore his divine image ; they are now to 
be redeemed by the same blood. 

6 Do good to as many as possible. Imitate in 
this your Father which is in heaven. But as 
you can follow him in doing good but a little 
way ; come nearer to his example in your good 
wishes and kind intentions. Let there be no li- 
mits 



SERMON L 431 

niits to the exercise of this part of your charity* 
Since you can never repay him any thing for his 
infinite patience, and mercy i and love to you ; 
love men for his sake. He, the origin of all 
good, is exalted above all recompense ; but you 
can reach those who belong to his household ; 
let not the highest among you disdain to be a 
servant to wash the feet of the servants of your i Sam, 

i, xxv. 4J, 

ord. 

c But if even in these little expressions of your 
condescension and charity, your abilities are still 
too weak to keep pace with your inclination ; 
can you relent, can you pardon, for the love of 
God ? If you cannot bestow because you are 
poor, or labour because you are weak ; can you 
forgive, as you yourselves are forgiven ? 

c Yet once more, before I finally deliver this Matth. 
cup into your hands, never again myself to par- XXV1 * > * 
take of the like refreshment upon earth ; since 
what I now say to you are almost the last words 
that I shall utter, the declaration of my mind at 
such a time, my orders, injunctions now, ought 
to have a peculiar weight : they are my dying 
will and testament. This cup is the new testa- Lukexxii, 
ment sealed in my blood ; take it, to shew that 2 °* 
you lay claim to the benefit of my bequests, and 
appertain to the household and family of the tes- 
tator. 

6 You must continue this rite among yourselves 
G g 2 hereafter. 



452 



SERMON I. 



hereafter, when I am gone from you, and deliver 
it down to be observed to the end of the world* 
It is so small a request, that I cannot think any 
of those who become my disciples will refuse to 
comply with it. 

* If I had required you to come together from 
ail parts to the very place of my death, and there 
shew your remembrance of me by painful fast- 
ings, or costly sacrifices ; I had but copied after 
the example of former institutions. The whole 
nation almost of the Jews is even now, you see, 
assembled here at Jerusalem to keep the Pass- 
over. And this is but one of the three festivals 
to be kept all at this place. The easier I make 
my commands to you, the more punctual you 
will be in the observance of them. 
John xiv. c To you I give my peace. Not as the vuorla* 
27. givethy in compliment only, and without either 
meaning or consequence : I speak with authori- 
ty. I am still that Word by which the worlds 
were made. My peace is the pardon of your 
sins, courage and consolation under all troubles, 
and everlasting salvation. 

f Farewell ! I cannot talk more with you. All 
things are now ready. I am expected by him 
that betrayeth me : and I go to meet him, and 
to deliver myself into his hands. The Testament 
which I have declared, the new covenant which 
I establish, the atonement which I have under- 
taken, 



SERMON L 



45 S 



taken, are .now to be completed and ratified? 
according to the appointment of Almighty God, 
by me in my own blood. Father, I come, to do 
thy will to fulfil thy word \ to bear thy wrath 5 
to be the sacrifice for the world ; a willing sacri- 
fice for a world of sinners. 

6 Not that I am insensible of what is approach-, 
ing : I see it in all its terrors. And if the bit- 
ter cup might pass from me ! Alas ! for this very 
cause came I into the world. Heavenly Father, 
let thy will be done. Hitherto I have in all 
things done thy will. I prepare now to uffer 
in obedience to it. And, oh ! if any thing that 
I have ever done, if all that I now sutler, avail 
in thy sight ; if thou hast ever loved me, or will 
grant any thing at my request; Father, have 
mercy on the poor race of men. Pity their 
blindness ; pardon their folly \ lay all their ini- 
quities upon my head. 

4 Thus redeemed, they shall give thanks unto 
thee for endless ages \ they shall be translated 
from earth to heaven ; and join with those holy 
angels which never sinned, in celebrating thy 
praises, and performing thy pleasure^ to all eter* 
nity.' 



G g 3 SERMON 



\ 



ii Vi! 



SERMON IL 



REV. xiii. 8. 

THE LAMB SLAIN FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE 
WORLD. 

If the New Testament be true, the Old is so 
too ; because the New Testament tells us that 
it is. The gospel refers continually to the law 
and the prophets, not only as being true, but in- 
deed as containing a capital proof of its own 
divine authority. Search the Scriptures, says our j h n vi. 
Lord to the Jews, for in them ye think ye have $ 9* 
eternal life : and they are they which testify of me. 
We cannot therefore admit the one revelation , 
and deny the other. They are closely united 
by him who is the author of both: and what God Matth. 
hath joined together, let not man put asunder. X1X * e * 

Known unto God are all his woi^ks from the be- Acts XTe 
ginning. As the various events which befel our 1So 
heavenly Redeemer during his abode on earth, 
are said to have come to pass, that the scriptures Matth* 
might be fulfilled ; so, on the other hand, those xxvi -^ 
G g 4 Scriptures 



456 



SERMON II. 



Scriptures were therefore written, and the things 
recorded there were done, because the Supreme 
Wisdom had a foreordained the events that should 
correspond to them. The services under the 

Hebr, x. Mosaic law, arid before it, were but a shadow of 
good things to come. The Redeemer's death was 
the whole meaning of every sacrifice, in all ages; 

Rev. xiifc and when at last, in the fulness of time, he was 
offered upon the the cross, he was the Lamb slain 
from the foundation of the would. 

If we should understand any thing concerning 
the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, we must 
read, no doubt, those places in the gospels where 
the institution is recorded, and consider them 
with a very particular attention. And if there 
be any other passages of the New Testament 
which relate to this subject, it is very true that 
we must attend to them also. 

But why are we prohibited with so much cau- 
tion from looking any further for information ? 

Plain Ac- It is because other writers who followed, f kave no 
pretences to the same regard from us $ the New Tes- 
tament is alone to be depended on : and we ought 
to take all our notions of this duty from it. 

Not to stand now to dispute about the other 
• writers who followed ; what, may we ask, if we 
should have recourse to the writers who went 
hefore ? 

What 



SERMON .11. 



457 



What ! before the institution and existence of 
the rite you are inquiring after? 

Why not ? The Old Testament was given by 
divine inspiration as well as the New, and con- 
tains the religion of that people among whom 
our Lord was born, and lived, and taught ; and 
must therefore, in all human appearance, help 
us greatly to comprehend the instructions which 
he delivered. 

But this religion of the Jews was also, in its 
nature, preparatory to that which he substituted 
in the place of it, and is intimately connected 
with it, Christ is declared to be the end of the R om> x< 4, 
law ; and he came, as he tells us of himself, to Matth. v» 
fulfil it. Ye are no more strangers and foreigners, 
says St. Paul to the Gentiles at Ephesus, but fel- 1% 20. 
low-citizens with the saints, and of the household of 
God ; and are built upon the foundation of the 
apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being 
the chief corner-stone. 

These reasons are general, and extend to 
other doctrines and duties of Christianity. But 
the institution of the Lord's Supper was attend- 
ed with such particular circumstances as must 
lead us inevitably to the books of the Old Tes- 
tament for our information^ and suggest to us 
that, very possibly, even the essence of this du- 
ty cannot be understood without them. 

As they were eatings Jesus took bread and Ness- Matth. 



43S 



SERMON II. 



ed it,— As they were eating. Was this a com- 
mon meal : or was it not rather the celebration 
of a sacred rite ? Will you not permit us to in. 
quire concerning the time, place, and occasion 
of this solemnity ? Must we start at once from 
the very words of consecration ? As if never any 
thing had been done or written, from the begin- 
ning of the world to the then present moment, 
which could relate to that transaction : as if this 
new institution could have no connection with 
any other duties or institutions ; and the whole 
Jewish dispensation was not accomplished, but 
destroyed ; and the law and the prophets, and 
all the books of the old revelation, had been ut- 
terly annihilated, and should be henceforth ne- 
ver heard of, 

Nay, if we will permit ourselves to hear all 
that our Lord w r as pleased to say, even while he 
was sitting at that very last supper, where he in- 
stituted this holy rite ; we must either be already 
instructed in the religion of the Jews, as the 
persons all were to whom he spoke, or we can- 
not help asking some questions, which can only 
be answered out of the law of Moses. 

Lukexxii. He sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. 

J4 > 15, And he said unto them. With desire J have desired 
to eat this passover with you, before I suffer. 

If our Lord, in his heavenly wisdom, so pas- 
sionately longed for this passover, that he desir- 
ed 



SERMON IL 



ed only to live till he had kept it ; will you not 
let us ask what this passover was, which he 
judged of such importance ? Perhaps it had 
some relation to his death ; perhaps to the holy 
rite he was going to appoint ; possibly, all the 
three are essentially connected. 

The Jewish passover was one of the most 
considerable of the sacrifices required in the Old 
Testament ; and St. Paul calls our Lord himself 
by this very name, Christ our passover is sacri- 1 Cor. v. 
Jiced for us. 7 * 

The great deliverance of the Jewish nation 
had been effected by means of the first passover. 
Ye shall kill the passover, and strike the lintel and Exod. xii. 
the two side-posts with the blood ; and the Lord ' ~ * 
will pass through and smite the Egyptians ; and 
when he seelh the blood, the Lord will pass over 
the door, and not suffer the destroyer to come into 
your houses to smite you. 

This event our Lord and his apostles were 
now solemnly commemorating. When therefore, 
as they were eating the sacrifice of the passover, Matth. 
Jesus took bread and blessed it, and brake it, and 2*^5^* 
gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat, this is 
my body ; and the cup, saying, This is my blood ; 
he refers to the occasion present, and the ob- 
jects before them ; which are not industriously 
to he removed out of sight, but all taken into 

the 



460 



SERMON II. 



the account, if we desire to comprehend the 
fulness of his meaning. 

It is as if he had said, 6 You are eating the flesh 
of this lamb ; the blood of it has been shed at 
the altar to make atonement. But you must 
now know, that these things are but shadows. 
I am the great sacrifice, and my blood the true 
■atonement. Here, eat of this bread, drink of 
this cup, considering them as representing my 
body and blood ; and you shall be partakers or 
what was always the end and meaning of the 
legal passover; of this body which is just now 
going to be offered in sacrifice to God for the 
Heb. ix. sins of all men \ of this blood, without the shed* 
ding of which there is no remission. 9 

Can we avoid observing here the remarkable 
disparity between the services required in the 
law, and the rites appointed in the gospel ? 
How laborious the former, and still obscure ! 
how short, yet clear ; how easy, yet how signi- 
ficant the latter ! Our Lord makes his commands 
as light as possible to us, and takes the heavy 
and painful part of his religion upon himself. 
Instead of the mysterious and bloody rite of cir- 
cumcision, he has appointed the plain and ex- 
pressive ceremony of washing his converts in 
pure water. In the place of all the costly sa- 
crifices of the law, he has offered indeed his own 
body upon the cross 5 but he requires only of 

us 



SERMON II. 



us to eat bread and drink wine in remembrance 
of him. 

We can now serve God, and be accepted by 
him, without bringing with us any other offer- 
ing, besides that of a devout and upright heart* 
The hour now is, when the true worshippers wor- John iv. 
sJdp the Father in spirit and in truth : For the ^' 
Father seeketh such to worship him. 

If he required such a multiplicity of cere- 
monies, and expensive offerings and services 
from the Jews, it was for wise reasons, no 
doubt, but not because he himself delighted in 
them. God did ever esteem innocence before 
the most costly sacrifices. Even when he de- 
manded those external performances, he would 
not accept them without a good life. 

To what purpose is the multitude of your sacri- Isa.i. n. 

1 D 

Hoes unto me t saith the Lord : I am full of the e 
burnUtfferings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts. 
Wash ye, make you clean. Cease to do evil, learn 
to do well ; relieve the oppressed, judge the father- 
less, plead for the widow. These parts of the 
old covenant never decay ; but are the great 
duties of Christians still under the gospel. How 
near is the resemblance between the prophet and 
the apostle ! Pure religion and undefiled before James I 
God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless 
and widows in their affliction^ and to keep himself 
unspotted from the world. 

SERMON 



SERMON III. 



1 COR. xi. 26. 

FOR AS OFTEN AS YE EAT THIS BREAD, AND DRINK 
THIS CUP, YE DO SHEW THE LORD'S DEATH, TILL 
HE COME. 

The law and the gospel are so ordered by the 
Divine Providence, as to reflect light upon one 
another ; and are neither of them seen to ad- 
vantage separately. If you look at the law with- 
out a reference to Christ, you see a multitude 
of means only without the end ; a shadow with- 
out substance ; a letter without the meaning 
and spirit. Your eyes are blinded by a veil 
hanging before them, as, St f Paul tells us, the 
minds of the Jews were, and as they continue 
to be ; for until this day remaineth the same veil 2 Con Hi, 
untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament. 14 * 

On the other hand, neither can we well un- 
derstand the accomplishment of all these things 
in the gospel, without some knowledge of the 
antecedent dispensation. It adds beauty to both 

it* 



SERMON IIL 



to see the correspondence that is between them 5 
the gradual progress out of darkness into the 
1 Pet. ii. marvellous light ; the distant designs that have 
been answered, the mysteries unfolded, the pro- 
phecies fulfilled, and earthly types and symbols 
advanced into heavenly realities. 

St. Paul indeed, having called the law a school- 
Gal, iil master, doth say, that after faith is come, we are 
~ 5 * no longer under a schoolmaster. It is true, we 
are not under it ; not obliged to live by its rules, 
and at this time to practise its rites and ceremo- 
nies. But as the apostle had acknowledged that 
it w 7 as our schoolmaster to bring as to Christ ; 
we may be content to receive this benefit from 
it, and become the better proficients in Chris- 
tianity, for having first imbibed the rudiments of 
the law. 

It is through the instruction of that school- 
master, the law, that we learn to comprehend 
in some measure (for it is still a mystery even 
to angels) the great doctrine revealed in the 
l Pet. i. gospel, of the sufferings of Christ, and the glory 
that should follow : that God is in Christ reconciU 
19. big the world unto himself; and this reconcilia- 
Rom. v. tion is by his death : that he is the Lamb of God y 
Tohn i which taketh away the sin of the world ; an offer- 
£9. ing and a sacrifice to God ; set forth to be a pro- 
Ephes. v. pifi a ti on ^ through faith in his blood. 
Rom. m. You are made to see here, almost of your- 
selves, 



SERMON III. 



463 



selves, the necessity of the death of Christ. He 
could be no sacrifice, according to the pattern 
of those under the law, without it. It is the Levit. 
blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. This 
we learn of Moses, and no longer wonder that 
the prayer even of the only-begotten should re- 
turn into his own bosom. Father, save me from John xii 9 
this hour ; but for this cause came I unto this hour. 2 * * 
He was born into the world for this end, to suffer, 
and to be put to death : he took up his life, in 
order thus to lay it down ; and was made a liv- 
ing man, for this very purpose, to be crucified 
and slain. 

Did I say, the prayer of the Redeemer re- 
turned unanswered ? He himself retracts it. He 
could have called down legions of angels to his 
own deliverance, and the destruction of his 
murderers. But how, then, shall the scriptures Mattb. 
be fulfilled, that it must be ? xxvl " oi< ' 

If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching 1 Cor. xv. 
vain, and your faith is also vain. And if he had 1K 
not suffered on the cross, the predictions of the 
ancient Scriptures, beginning, as it is written, at Luke 
Moses and all the prophets, the types in the Le- XX1V * 27 
vitical service, the great passover itself, and 
every sacrifice under the law, had been insigni- 
ficant and vain : no atonement had been made 
for the sins of man ; and the judgment had both Rom. v.' 

H h come y 18a 



466 



SERMON III. 



come, and for ever rested upon all men to con« 

demnation. 

Heb.x, 4, For it is not possible that the blood of bulls, and 
12 ' °f goats, should take away sins t they received 
their whole virtue and efficacy from that one sa- 
Ephes.v. cr \fi ce offered for sins for ever, by him who loved 
% us, and gave himself for us, an offering and a sa^ 

crifice to God for a sweet smelling savour. 
1 Cor v Christ our passover is sacrificed for us ; and 
7. our redemption is through his blood. By this 

Ephes. i. we have justification, sanctif cation, peace. The 
H°b" V: "' S crr P ture mentions everyone of these, express- 
12< ' ' ly ascribing them to the same cause. It is he 
Col. i. 20. fl ia i loved us, and washed us from our sins in his 
Kom.v.9. blood. And being justified by his blood, we are 
saved from wrath through him ; or, as it might 
%, » « be rendered, through it. But there is no diffe- 
Acts xx rence : as it is he who hath purchased the church, 
28. so the price he has paid for it is his own blood. 
The New Testament, you see, teaches this 
doctrine in places innumerable ; and the whole 
tenor of the Old, not only implies it, but has 
hardly any other meaning. 

When, therefore, in conformity to our Lord's 
institution at his last supper, we eat bread and 
drink wine, as he hath commanded, in remem- 
brance of him, it is in remembrance of his 
death. It is his death, his crucifixion, his 

pounded 



SERMON III. 



wounded body and his blood, that are the aw- 
ful objects then set before us* 

God forbid that any Christian should under- 
value the teaching of our Lord. His commands 
are necessary to be obeyed : and it will be found 

at last, that it is in vain to call him our Lord, Infest 

- . 46, 

if we do not the things which he saith. His in- 
carnation, his birth, life, miracles, and resur- 
rection, are all of them proper objects for our 
frequent and devout meditations ; and can never 
surely be thought of, without the warmest feel- 
ings, and the best resolutions, 

But yet, when we come to partake of the 
Lord's supper, according to his appointment ; it 
is not any of these, that is the direct and im- 
mediate object of our attention at that time, 
but his sufferings and death. He is set before 
us, in this sacrament, as crucified and dying for 1 Cor, 
us. As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this 
cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. 

This precise consideration, I should make no 
scruple to say, is essential to the right discharge 
of the duty, and to every true account of it. If 
you take upon you at any time to enumerate the 
particulars that must concur in order to the per- 
forming of this duty, agreeably to the end of 
the institution, the remembrance of the death 
of Christ is always to be one, it is to be the 
xhief of them. 

H h 2 It 



468 



SERMON III. 



It is not a right account, for it is not a perfect 
Plain Ac- one, to say, that the communicant, in a serious 
count. sense of his relation to Christ, as his disciple, is to 
eat bread and drink wine in remembrance of him 
as a person corporally absent : absent he might 
be, had he never died : we are to do it in re- 
membrance of him, as one who suffered in our 
stead, and was crucified for us. To leave this 
out, is to let drop what is indispensably neces- 
sary, and turn aside our attention from the very 
point on which it should be fixed above all others. 
To see this, indeed, it is not necessary to go 
1 Cor. xi. farther than the New Testament: As often as ye 
eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the 
Lord's death till he come ; than the four gos- 
pels ; nay, if you will bind us to them, than the 
Luke vei T wor d s °^ ^ ne institution, This is my body^ 
xxii. 19. which is given for you* Given! how? to be put 
to death, no doubt ; crucified for your sake* 
1 Cor. xi. St. Paul's words are, which is broken for you : 
delivered up to suffer violence on your account. 
^ uke And, this cup is the New Testament of my blood, 
xxii. 20. which is shed for you. Or, as the words are in 
Matth another Evangelist, this is my blood of the New 
xxvi. 28. Testament, which is shed for many, for the re- 
mission of sins. 

Look up, therefore, Christians, in the sacra- 
Heb ment of the Lord's supper, to the offering of the 
m body of Jesus Christ once for all : look to him as 

dying 



SERMON III. 



469 



dying for the remission of your sins ; washing 
them away in his precious blood ; suffering, that 
you may be saved. And while you are kneel- 
ing under his cross, touched with the utmost 
possible sense of God's love, who gave his only- 
begotten Son, and affected with sentiments of 
the most tender devotion to him who gave him- 
self for you, embrace also with your good will 
all mankind, whom he lov^d, for his sake. Then 
rise up to the sober continual practice of every 
thing that is good, and excellent, and praise- 
worthy, and conformable to such sentiments and 
affections, and the obligations laid upon you by 
his infinite love. Remember that you are to 
live, as well as pray, piously. Let the devout 
worship of God be accompanied with a careful 
obedience to his commands : and then you are 
perfect and entire, wanting nothing. James i.4. 

Thus shall these services and sacraments be 
fulfilled to you in a manner not now to be com- 
prehended. You shall be admitted into those 
mansions which Christ is gone into heaven to 
prepare ; and eat and drink at his table in his Luke 
kingdom* XX11, s ° 9 



H h s SERMON 



I 



SERMON IV. 



HEB. x. 8, 9, 10. 

ABOVE WHEN HE SAID, SACRIFICE, AND OFFERING, 
AND BURNT OFFERINGS, AND OFFERING FOR SIN, 
THOU WOULDEST NOT, NEITHER HADST PLEASURE 
THEREIN, WHICH ARE OFFERED BY THE LAW ; 
THEN SAID HE, LO, I COME TO DO THY WILL, O 
COD ! HE TAKETH AWAY THE FIRST, THAT HE 
MAY ESTABLISH THE SECOND. BY THE WHICH 
WILL WE ARE SANCTIFIED, THROUGH THE OFFER- 
ING OF THE BODY OF JESUS CHRIST ONCE FOR ALL* 

The religious worship of most nations in the 
world anciently consisted much of sacrifices* 
That of the Jews, in particular, was almost 
wholly taken up with them. And it is certain, 
whether we can see the reasons of it or no, or 
whatever reasons we may fancy we see against 
it, that this way of worship was acceptable to 
the Supreme Being, from the days of Noah at 
least, if not from Adam, to the death of Christ. Gen.vi& 

Possibly you can see no reason why the death 20 ' * 1# 
of Christ should recommend to the divine fa- 
ll h 4 vour 



0% SERMON IV, 

vour any other person than himself: can you 
tell me why the death of an animal had ever 

Rom. vii. any such efficacy ? It is written, you know, (for 
I speak, as the apostle did, to them that knoxc 
the law, and that consent unto it, that it is good J, 

Lev. xvii. The life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have 
given it you upon the altar to make an atonement 
for your souls : for it is the blood that maketh an 
atonement for the souL 

Not pretending, therefore, to form to our- 
selves a religion with which we w T ill require our 
Maker to be content, but acquiescing with that 
which he is pleased to give us, though it be, not 
indeed contrary to our reason, God forbid, yet 
in some particulars w T onderful even to astonish- 
ment ; let us see what light may be reflected 
upon the Christian faith from this part of the 
religion of the Jews. 

The offerings which they made of animals to 
be slain, may be comprehended most commo- 
diously, I think, under * three general classes* 
to which most of the particulars will be, in some 
sort, reducible. At least, there are three spe- 
cies of them very conspicuous, in many places 

of 

* When Josephus divides the Jewish sacrifices into ins 
sorts only, he considers not the occasion, the intention, the 
order, or a multitude of other differences ; but merely this 
circumstance, whether the whole sacrifice were, or were not* 
consumed on the altar. — Antiq. Jud. Lib. 3. c. 9. 



SERMON IV. 

of Scripture mentioned together, so as to be dis- 
tinguished from each other, and in some so as 
to be put for the whole number. 

In the 40th psalm, according to the translation 
in our Bible, we read, Sacrifice and offering thou 
didst not desire ; burnt offering and sin offering 
hast thou not required. Sacrifice and offering : — 
That which is here styled offering? is to be taken 
out of the number, being, as appears plainly in 
the original, not a sacrifice of any animal, but an ."maa^ 
oblation? consisting of flour, oil, frankincense, is. * 
and salt, and commonly called a meat offering. 
It should have been so rendered here, and in- 
deed is so in the older translation of the Psalms, 
generally used in the divine service, where it 
stands thus ; Sacrifice and meat offering thou 
zvouldesl not: burnt offerings? and sacrifice for sins? 
hast thou not required. 

Besides therefore the meat offering? which w r as 
of flour ; of animal offerings, you see, here are 
three sorts enumerated, sacrifice? burnt offering, 
and sin offering. They are not thus put down 
casually, but with care, and quoted accordingly 
with the same exactness by the Apostle to the 
Hebrews; sacrifice and offering thou wotddest not : Hek 
in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast 63 
had no pleasure. And again, no more than two 
verses afterwards, arguing from this passage in 
the Psalms, he repeats every one of the same 

words : 



474 



SERMON IV. 



Hebr. x. 
9, 9, 10- 



Exod. c. 

xxix. 
Levit. 
c. viii. 
e. ix. 



words i sacrifice and offering, and burnt-offerings $ 
and offerings for sin thou wouldest not* 

Now the design of the apostle is to teach us, 
that the whole collection of the Jewish sacrifices, 
consisting principally of three distinguished 
kinds, with the oblations that accompanied 
some of them, were superseded and abolished ; 
having answered the end for which they were 
originally intended ; having prefigured, in such 
measure as it pleased God, the great sacrifice of 
the Redeemer of mankind, and being fully and 
finally accomplished in his death upon the cross* 

Above when he said, sacrifice and offering, and 
burnt-offerings, and offering for sin thou wouldest 
not, neither hadst pleasure therein, which are of- 
fered by the law : then said he, lo, I come to do 
thy will, O God* He taketh away the first, that 
he may establish the second. By the which will 
we are sanctified, through the offering of the body 
of Jesus Christ, once for all. 

Upon some solemn occasions, the Jewish law 
directed these three sorts of sacrifice to be all of- 
fered in the following order f. 

In 



* There are indeed many passages in the Levitical law, 
where the sacrifices, which a worshipper brings to be offered^ 
are set down in a different order ; but it does not certainly 
fojlo^, that even in those instances they were offered in a dif- 
ferent 



SERMOtf tV. 



4 



In the first place was presented the offering Levit. 
for sin, by him regularly that offered it. He 
laid his hand upon the head of the sin offering, 
which was then slain beside the altar, and the 
fat indeed burnt upon it, but the body was burnt 
without the camp ; the person employed in the 
removal of it, being sometimes spoken of as de- 
filed at second hand by its imputed uncleanness. 
He shall wash his clothes, and bathe his Jiesh in Levit* 
water, and afterwards he shall come into the camp *. xvl * 21 

Next, 

ferent order by the priest. It is written, Numb. vi. 14. He 
shall offer his offering to the Lord, one he lamb of the first 
year without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb of 
the first year without blemish for a sin offering, and one ram 
without blemish for peace offerings ; but you will find ver. 16, 
17. the priest is directed to arrange these very offerings in the 
©rder I have mentioned. And the priest shall bring them be*> 
fore the Lord, and shall offer his sin offering, and his burnt 
offering, and he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace o£» 
ferings unto ihe Lord. 

* When another beast, upon the same occasion, is represent- 
ed as bearing away the iniquities of the nation into a land not 
inhabited, the meaning seems to be, that the sins expiated 
by the solemnities of that day, shall no more be remembered 
than the beast shall be again found, which is escaped into the 
wilderness, Levit. xvi. 21, 22. The phrase in the 10th verse, 
to make an atonement with him, is a mistake in the translation, 
and should not he, with, but, over him: the word -jfy is often 
used after ^ but never, I believe, in that sense, in all the 

Old 



7^; 



476 S E R M O X I V 

Next, the worshippers brought their biirnU 
offering, as they had done the other, and laying 
their hands upon its head, presented it to God, 
The blood was sprinkled upon the altar, and the 

Exod. flesh ail consumed on it. No part of it was eaten 

passim. h Y m J orie - Jt was ^ offering made by fire, oj 

Numb, a sweet savour unto the Lord. 

Of this sort were the two lambs, which were 
offered every day, the one in the morning, the 

Numb, other towards the evening : and along with each 

sxviii. 5 

7. ' of them flour, oil, and wine, for a meat and a 
drink offering. 

Of this sort are thought to have been the sa- 
crifices of the Patriarchs, from the flood to the 
Gen.viii, days of Moses. Such was that of Noah. He 
builded an altar unto the Lord, and took of every 
clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered 
burnt-offerings upon the altar. Such was the 
offering of Isaac, or such it was ordered to be ? 
and such was that of the ram in his stead. Take 



so. 



Gen. xxii. 

2, 13. now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, and 
get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him 
there for a burnt-offering. — And Abraham took 

the 

Old Testament. For the rest, we are not to wonder that by 
the Jewish ritual the atonement was s till carried on through 
so many ceremonies, or even so many sacrifices, one after an- 
other, as if it were never complete. It is from a similar cir- 
cumstance to this, that the apostle to the Hebrews (chap, x.) 
draws his fine argument for the imperfection and insufficiency 
of that whole dispensation. 



SERMON IV. 



mm, and offered him up for a burnt-offering , 
in the stead of his son. 

After the sin offerings, and burnt offerings, 
there still remained one species of sacrifices 
more, and these were called the sacrifices of 
peace offerings. 

Of these there were various sorts, which we 
need not specify, this principal circumstance 
being common to them all; that, part being first 
given to the altar, and part to those who minis- 
tered at it, the rest of the sacrifice appertained 
to the worshippers. 

At their first approach with their offerings for 
sin, they appeared as enemies or rebels ; yet re- 
penting, acknowledging the punishment which 
they had deserved, and submitting, by substitu- 
tion, to the infliction of it. ✓ 

The burnt offering which came next, was a 
tribute to the heavenly King, a token of their ac* 
knowledged allegiance, and renewed loyalty \ 
and placed the worshippers in the light of faiths 
ful subjects, under his sovereign government, 
and omnipotent protection. 

Lastly, having presented their sacrifice of 
peace offerings, they became, as it were, of the 
number of his friends and family; feasting of the 
same meat, and being guests at one common 
table, with the Divinity whom they adored. 

Now as all these sacrifices, considered as types, 

are 



SERMON IV. 



are accomplished, and the beneficial intention 
of every one of them finally answered, by the 
sacrifice of our Lord Christ upon the cross ; we 
are not to wonder if we find him compared in 
the New Testament to every one of them. And 
if one part, of any such comparison should lead 
us to think of one of these kinds of sacrifice, 
arid some words that follow rather turn our 
thoughts to another, neither is this any mighty 
difficulty, since he was prefigured by them all, 
St. Paul speaks of our Lord as an offering for 
Epnes. ii. sin. * That he might reconcile both (Jews and 
16, 18. Gentiles) unto God in one body by the cross:— 
for through him *we both have an access by one 
spirit unto the Father. If there can be any doubt 
of this, it will be made plain by the parallel 
i. Pet. iii. words of St. Peter, t Christ had once suffered 
5S * for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring 
us to God, 

Yet, the same Apostle St. Paul, and in the 
same Epistle, representing our Lord again as a 
sacrifice, makes choice of such terms as are not 
commonly applied to sacrifices for sin, but to 
peace offerings, and the oblations that accompa- 
nied 

»~~ At' avTif &%of*>ZV W ■zr^oa-dyuyw. 

■j- X^lfOS 6t,7TCi,% m(>{ ClpXPTlU'V iTT&foj $/)Cttt&> Vint O^tKM) Yw npoi$ 



SERMON IV. 



nied them* : * Christ also liath loved us, and hath Eph. v. ii. 
given himself for us, an offering and a sacrifce 
to God, for a sweet smelling savour. An offering ng*^*?, 
or oblation ; it is the meat-offering of flour and 
oil which accompanied the burnt-offerings, and 
peace-offerings, but not those that were made 
for sin : and a sacrifce ; with us the word sacri^ 0yc ./^ 
fice is general, but the original word, in this 
place, properly denotes the sacrifice of 'peace of- 
ferings : and lastly he adds, for a sweet smelling 
savour ; which expression is not applicable to 
the sin-offering t, but is common, and continu- 
ally in use concerning burnt offerings, and the 
sacrifices of peace offerings. 

Let us with devout thankfulness reflect, that 
our Saviour Christ did that truly and fully for 
us, and for all men, which was done, in part, or 
in shadow, for the Jews by all their oblations and 
sacrifices. He is the propitiation for our sins : j j onn ^ 

through 

t I know not that there is above one place in all the Old 
Testament, in which mention is ever made of the sweet smell- 
ing savour in the case of a sacrifice for sin ; and there it is 
applied to a certain part separated from the rest of the sin of- 
fering, and treated, and spoken of expressly, as if it had ap- 
pertained to a peace offering. He shall take away all the fat Levit. iv. 
thereof, as the fat is taken away from off the sacrifice of peace 
cfferings, and the priest shall burn it uponjhe altar for a sweet 
s 0vour. 



480 SERMON IV. 

Ephes. ii, through him We have access to the Father, and 
' 19 ' are no more strangers and foreigners, hut fellow- 
citizens with the saints, and of the household of 
God. 

It hath pleased the Father of all, in the depth 
of his unsearchable wisdom, out of the bowels 
of his infinite love, to effect the recovery of 
fallen man, through the interposition of his only- 
begotten Son. To his wonderful incarnation, 
to his holy life and doctrine, his meritorious and 
bloody death and passion, his powerful inter- 
cession, and the presence and help of that Di- 
vine Comforter whom he hath sent down to us 
in his stead, is owing every step we make in 
our progress from sin and misery to everlasting 
glory and virtue. 
Ephes. ii. We are by nature the children of wrath. But 
v 15 13 ne na th abolished in his jlesh the enmity : and now 
in Christ Jesus, ye, who sometimes were far off, 
are made nigh by the blood of Christ: not only 
subjects of God's kingdom, and servants in his 
Ephes. I household, but predestinated into the adoption of 
children by Jesus Christ Wherefore thou art no 

Gal. iv. 7. , , .„ 

more a servant, but a son : and if a son, then an 
Rom, viii. keir of God through Christ. He that spared not 
his oxvn Son, but delivered him up for us all, how 
shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 

Instead of disputing with presumptuous blind- 
ness against the method which God hath chosen 

for 



SERMON IV. 



479 r 



for the salvation of mankind ; let us be wise 
enough to accept his mercy with obedient thank- 
fulness. Is it for us to say, on what conditions 
it is fit for God to forgive sins ? Or do we know 
all the possible efficacy of the death of his Son ? 

The Word was with God, and was God ; and J°^ n ] °« h 

■ 14 12„ 

the Word was made flesh. And as many as receiv- 
ed kim$ to them gave he power to become the sons 
of God. Is there nothing in all this, but what 
must needs be plain and obvious to the meanest 
capacity ? 

The minutest insect, the simplest vegetable, 
every particle of inanimate matter, contains in 
its nature an abyss of wonders, which no hu- 
man understanding can fathom. And is there 
nothing of mystery in the incarnation of the 
Son of God ? Can no benefit redound to man- 
kind through his death, but what we must needs 
be able to trace through all the darkness of the 
divine counsels ? 

All things have I seen in the days of my vanity : Eccles. 
the upright man perisheth in his righteousness : V11, 15s 
yet God is just. How much more, when he who 
loved us washed us in his blood, and was made a 
willing sacrifice for the sins of the whole world ? 

Even in natural subjects, the person who 
meets with no difficulties, learns nothing. How 
much more in the deep things of God? If any 3 Cor.il. 
man thinketh that he knoweth any thing, he know- yjjj. o t 
tth nothing yet as he ought to know. 

I i SERMON 



SERMON V, 



483 



blood of others ; but now, once hath he appeared 
to pat away sin by the sacrifice of himself. — Christ 
was once offered to bear the sins of many. — This Heb. x. 

12 

man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins, for 
ever sat down on the right hand of God. — The Heb. xiii. 
bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the ll> 
sanctuary by the high priest for sin are burnt with- 
out the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that he might 
sanctify the people with his oxvn blood, suffered 
without the gate. 

Thus not only the death of our Lord, but his 
entrance into heaven, and the intercession he Heb. vii, 

25 

ever liveth to make for us, were exhibited cir- 
cumstantially, as the apostle has shewn us at 
large, by the annual offering for sin, and the 
ceremonies attending it. Yet, as all the sacri- 
fices under the law, of whatever kind, were typi* 
cal of the death of Christ ; so, however they 
might differ in other respects, there was one sig= 
nal circumstance common to all the three great 
classes of them, which was eminently figurative 
of the great Sacrifice upon the cross ; atonement 
was made in every one of them by blood. 

For the law could never, with those sacrifices Heb. %. 
"shich they offered, make the comers thereunto per- 
feet. The law seems to have been sensible, as 
it were, itself, of the incompleteness of its own 
work. The sacrifice for sin, in the regular course, 
preceded the rest : it was presented 3 and slain? 

I i 3 But 



SERMON V. 



But the worshippers were not so thoroughly pu« 
rifled, as not to want still further purgation. 

After the offering for sin, the burnt-offering 
next must yield its blood, not only to be shed, 
but to be sprinkled upon the altar : and this 
offering is expressly said to make atonement. 
Lev.i. 4, He shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt- 
5t offering ; and it shall be accepted for him to make 

atonement. And he shall kill the bullock before 
the Lord, and the priests shall bring the bloody 
and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar. 

Nay, the same ceremony, and for the same 
purpose, w 7 as still to be repeated in the sacrifices 
Lev. xvii. of peace-offerings. Whatsoever man there be that 
qffereth a burnt-offering \ or sacrifice, (that is, a 
peace-offering), and bring it not unto the door of 
the tabernacle to offer it unto the Lord, that man 
shall be cut off. And whatsoever man eateth any 
manner of blood, I will set my face against that 
soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off. For 
the life of the flesh is in the blood ; and I have 
given it to you upon the altar to make an atone- 
ment for your souls : for it is the blood thatmak- 
eth an atonement for the soul. 
Rom.vi, The wages of sin is death. Repent and believe 
??• , . the gospel, and the death of the sacrifice becomes 

Mark i. x 

15. the life of the sinner. 

But this is Judaism. It is what God hath 
been pleased to make it. The religion of the 

Jews 



SERMON V. 



ROM. v. 8. 

GOD COMMENDETH HIS LOVE TOWARDS US, IN THAT, 
WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR 
US. 

Though Christ is the end of the law, and he Rom. 
was accordingly represented with more or less 
clearness in all its offerings ; yet was there one 
kind of those offerings, and a particular one of 
the kind, by which he was prefigured in a more 
distinguished manner : these were the offerings 
for sin, and that solemn one in particular, which 
was presented in the name of the whole Jewish 
nation upon the great day of the annual expia- 
tion. 

That sin-offering being set apart to make an Lev.? 
atonement because of the uncleanness of the children 
of Israel, and because of their transgressions in 
all their sins, the body of the beast itself was 
ordered to be removed, as a thing unclean, from 
the midst of the congregation, and burnt with- 
I i 2 out 



4S2 



SERMON V. 



out the camp ; but the high priest was command* 
ed to take of the blood, and bring it "within the 
veil, and sprinkle it on the mercy-seat, and before 
the mercy -seat. 

All which is thus represented and applied by 
Heb. ix, the apostle. The first covenant had ordinances of 
divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. There 
"was a tabernacle made, the first, wherein was the 
candlestick, and the tables, and the skew-bread^ 
which is called the sanctuary. And after the se- 
cond veil, the tabernacle which is called the holiest 
of all ; which had the ark of the covenant, and over 
it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy-seat* 
Now the priests went always into the first taber- 
nacle ; but into the second went the high priest 
alone, once every year, not without blood, which he 
offered for himself, and for the errors of the people. 
The Holy Ghost thus signifying, that the way into 
the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while 
as the first tabernacle was yet standing. Which 
was a figure for the time then present. But Christ 
being come, an High Priest of good things to come, 
by his own blood entered in once into the holy place, 
having obtained eternal redemption for us. Not 
into the holy places made with hands, which are the 
figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to 
appear in the presence of God for us. Nor yet 
that he shoidd offer himsef often, as the high priest 
cntereth into the holy place every year, with the 

blood 



SERMON V. 



siasm, will naturally lead us, either to disbelieve 
the divine revelation, or, which is much the 
same, to explain it into nothing. 

Great is the mystery of godliness/ Far too lTim.iii* 
great for the grasp of our knowledge ; we can 
aspire towards it only with our heart and affec- 
tions. 

This acquaintance w r ith so divine a mystery, 
we shall do well, however unworthy, to desire 
and cultivate. 

For this cause, I bow my knees unto the Father Ephes. HL 
of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole fa- 14? u 
mily in heaven and earth is named, that he woidd 
grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to 
be strengthened with might by his Spirit, in the 
inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by 
faith ; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 
may be able to comprehend, with all saints, and 
know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge; 
which they only know, who themselves are root- 
ed and grounded in love. 

The amazing, unsearchable riches of love, in 
the breast of the Almighty Father, which mov- 
ed him to give his only begotten, in whom he 
was always well pleased, for wretched men, who 
had offended him ; that unparalleled and asto- 
nishing affection, which induced the glorious Son 
of God to become a man and a sacrifice, to bear 
himself the punishment of our sins, and by his 

Holy 



4*S SERMON V. 

Holy Spirit to help our infirmities, is never per- 
haps to be fully understood, I do not say by 
man, but by any created being. The Holy 
Trinity alone knows what it is to love in such a 
Uohniv. manner as this. For God, says the scripture, 
16 • is love. He that dwelkth in love, dwelleth in God 9 
and God in him. 

The nearest and best idea of this lave of God 
to men, is that which is in his breast, who knows 
what it is to love God. The learned and inge- 
nious, the men of brightest parts or deepest 
erudition, these are not the persons who have 
the best comprehension of the Divine Nature j 
but the humble, the devout, the self-denying, 
who are the most dead to their own desires, and 
the most inflamed with love to God and man. 

For these two are always to go together. 
They always in reality do so : and where they 
are not both, there is neither. The beloved 
disciple, strongly touched with this divine senti- 
i John iv. meat, hath told us;, that if a man say, I love 
~ ' God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar. 

Alas ! we forget surely, when we entertain 
such warm, and various, and never-dying ani- 
mosities, against our fellow-creatures, and fel- 
low-Christians, we forget, that the love of God 
was a love to sinners. 

That he should love his own, and only-begot- 
, Heb. i. 3. ten Son, who was the brightness of his glory, 

and 



SERMON V. 



485 



Jews is net to be utterly forgotten : the fabric 

of Christ's religion rests upon it. He came not Matth. v« 

to destroy the law, but fulfil. 17a 

But you see no reason in such an institution. 
We preach Christ crucified ; unto the Jews a stum- l Cor. L 
Ming block, and unto the Greeks foolishness ; but 3 M a 
the foolishness of God is wiser than men. 

Yes, you can find wisdom in Christianity, 
when it is explained properly. Christ came to 
give lessons in moral virtue ; and died to teach 
men patience. 

What virtues were taught by all the sacrifices 
in the law of Moses? what example was set by 
those sufferings ? Alas ! though the offerer might 
be guilty, the victim was innocent. And could 
this be right, according to your rules of reason ? 
Should not the guilty suffer, and the innocent 
be unpunished ? What crime had the lamb com- 
mitted, that its blood should be shed at God's 
altar? Or which way could the sinner be the 
better for it ? Is there any efficacy, comprehen- 
sible by human reason, in the blood of a beast, 
to wash away the guilt of a man ? 

You will think of a suitable answer on your 
part ; for to us it is sufficient that God so order- 
ed it. Till Christ came, this figure of his death 
was effectual by God's appointment. It was 
his pleasure 5 and his will is a reason. He hath 
said it, and we are satisfied. The life is in the Lukexvii ft 

blood, 



SERMON V. 



blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar 
to make an atonement for your souls : for it is the 
blood that maketh an atonement for the souL And 
Heb. ix. again by the apostle, without shedding of blood 
16' no remission. 

We see, therefore, no necessity to have re- 
course to metaphors on this occasion. The sa- 
crifices commanded in Leviticus were surely not 
metaphorical ; and the efficacy of them in the 
expiation of sin, to say the least, is as hard to 
comprehend as that of the death of Christ. It 
remains, therefore, entirely credible that the 
death of our Lord was a sacrifice to Almighty 
God, making atonement for the sins of the 
world. It was typically represented by all the 
sacrifices of the Jews, but most eminently by 
the sacrifices for sin ; and among them with the 
most elaborate solemnity, by the annual sin-offer* 
ing made for the whole nation. 

It is but a very little way that the understand- 
ing of man, while he is here on earth, is able 
to advance in the knowledge of heavenly things, 
i Pet. i. The sufferings of Christ, and the glory to follow, 
i} * 12, the preaching of the gospel, with the Holy Ghost 
sent down from heaven, are things which the angels 
desire to look into. The conceit, that on sub- 
jects so awful, or on any subjects, nothing can 
be true that lies beyond the limits of our com, 
prehension 3 if it do not take the road of enthu* 

siasm, 



SERMON V. 



489 



and the express image of his person ; that he 
should behold with some complacence and satis- 
faction those high orders of intellectual beings, 
who serve around his throne, and never trans- 
gressed at any time his commandment, is, as we 
should think, natural : it would be no wonder 
to us, But we know little of that love. God Rom.v.8,- 
commendeth his love to us, in that, while we were 
yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

The love of God to man, w r as love to an ene- 
my ; an obliged, dependant, beloved, insensible, 
and ungrateful enemy. Oh 1 if we have any 
sense of God's love, we shall never hereafter 
talk of our enemies. We can have no enemies, 
none that we shall ever consent to treat as such, 
if we have the least glimpse of what is meant by 
God's love to us, or any spark of love to Him. 

It is only to be added, for the conclusion of 
all, that as love to God implies love to him, so 
also it involves in it, or it is sure to bring along 
with it, obedience to his commandments. The 
same divine apostle, who knew so well, teaches 
us, that this is the love of God, that we keep his i John v. 
commandments. 3t 

Whatever our imaginations may be, whatever 
our sentiments, or sensations ; there is no secu- 
rity or comfort for us, if we continue under the 
dominion of sin. Because God loved us while 

we 



49© 



SERMON V. 



we were yet enemies, shall we still offend him 3 
and yet pretend to love him ? 
Matth.vii. Many. will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, 
22, 23. have we not prophesied in thy name ? and in thy 
name have cast out devils ? and in thy name have 
done many wonderful works? And then will I 
profess unto them, I never knew you : depart from 
me, ye that work iniquity. 



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